Searching for Answers
by KaoruPhoenix
Summary: The whole Pokémon gang is older, and a lot of stuff has gone on and gone wrong. Ash doesn't realize how dangerous his life has become after Misty's return.
1. The beginning

A/N: chapter 1 revised a bit, with some of the mistakes taken out, if you can tell me where I messed up, I can get it done.

Ash Ketchum collapsed onto the floor, holding his hand over a wound in his chest. A dark figure loomed over him, holding a shiny silver knife in his hand. It was covered in Ash's blood. Ash could not see the figure at all because of the dull lighting in the room, which gave him an eerie feeling of him being in some horror movie. He only saw the shadow of the figure, but one thing he could clearly see was the sharp knife that had cut him twice just a few seconds before. The dark figure took a menacing step in Ash's direction and raised the knife slightly higher,

"Now it's time for you to die Ash! I refuse to let you walk the earth any longer!" Ash recognized the voice, he knew it belonged to SOMEONE who he had spoken to before, but the big question was, who? The man stepped forward and swung right toward his head...

"AHHHHHHHHHH! Ash was now wide-awake in bed, the sweat poured down his face as he sat in bed, trying to comprehend what was going on. He realized that everything that had happened was just a horrible dream. He wiped the sweat off his face and breathed out a sigh, "Man this is getting out of hand, the same dream for the past three weeks. This is getting VERY old." It was in fact, the exact same dream that he has had every night for the past three weeks. It was weird, either he was going COMPLETELY insane, or maybe something was going to happen. But nonetheless, he had to find out what was wrong with him, or he'd never be able to get anymore sleep for as long as he had the dreams. He sighed and slowly climbed out of bed; he put his feet on the cold hardwood floor and stopped for a moment. He wondered just how his day was going to be, like he always did every morning. He never knew why it took him time to think about his day ahead, but he just decided six months ago to try it, because then his heart reached a low point, but he believed that planning his day made him forget of the significance with what event occurred six months ago. He got up and put fresh clothes on, today he was on a mission, to find out what was wrong with him before it completely destroyed him. He crept around Pikachu and walked out of his room. He walked out of the house and to his car, today he was going to find out what was wrong with him, if it was the last thing he ever did.

Ash rode down the street in his black convertible viper. He was now 23, and the greatest Pokémon master of all time. With all of the money he saved up, he built a bigger house for himself, and moved his mother in, selling the old one, although he was attached to that old house, there were a lot of old memories of his youth within the walls of that house, but some things but be given up, and besides it was time for him to move on. Besides it would be big enough to keep his mother busy. She had unfortunately developed a very severe case of cancer a year ago, and all of the doctors believed that she was not going to make it through the rest of the year, but when they had dismissed her as dead, Dr. Joy had been there, and thanks to her and her team of extraordinary doctors, Mrs. Ketchum had survived, but was forbidden to be out of care, so Ash quickly took up that job, being her only child. She helped him out a whole lot even going through her therapy and had a smile on her face up to the very seconds of her operation. Ash was determined to be optimistic before the operation to keep her hopes up, but he had heard the chances of her survival were very slim, and that worried him, but she didn't fret at all, because she knew whatever happened would happen. Ash was just glad that she survived and was still living happily. Well with all of the money from selling the house, and with many of his own funds, he bought the car he was riding in...and lastly, an engagement ring for Misty, his only love. But six months ago, she left him suddenly without a word or anything that told him what happened, and it was the day before he gathered up enough courage to ask her to marry him. It hurt him worse than any attack from Team Rocket, and a lot worse than any Pokémon attack. His took him so off guard when he found out, that he didn't even seem to realize it until suddenly he sat down, and then burst into tears, he would have accepted it if she told him what he did to make her leave, but she didn't even leave that either. It was the worst pain he could ever endure in his life. He never thought he'd be able to live without Misty, but somehow he got through it, and just to be sure, whenever he caught himself thinking about her, he'd just shut off whatever part of his brain that would start thinking those painful thoughts of his first and possibly only love. She shook off all the thoughts of that and focused on what he was to do today, first on his agenda, was to head to the hospital and maybe find out what was really wrong with him and those reoccurring dreams. He reached the hospital and found a parking spot far away from all the hustle and bustle of the incoming patients and swarms of people. He started toward the hospital, and from behind parked cars came a group of Team Rocket members, dressed in black. They surrounded Ash quickly and the leader spoke up,

"Ash Ketchum we challenge you!" Ash groaned out loud, he didn't care if they knew he was tired of them always getting in the way or not,

"Not this again, can you please just give it a rest?" Suddenly Ash felt a gun at the back of his neck,

"We weren't meaning anything like that, we're gonna show you how evil and nasty we can really be, and you're our first victim!" The one with the gun replied, Ash took a few minutest to figure his options, and then slowly started to raise his hands in the air,

"Whoa there, I don't want any trouble..." He replied slowly, he took a moment to judge all of their distances; none of the rest had guns,

"_So they must think they can take me out with just one gun eh? Well I'll show them how hard it'll be!"_ Ash thought at he began to start his attack. He quickly spun around and kicked the gun out of his hand, and before he even had the chance to act, Ash went low and kicked his feet out from under him. He fell on his head and was knocked out of the battle quickly. The others were quick to overwhelm him, but THEY were soon overwhelmed when they were surrounded by dozens of police officers. They quickly surrendered themselves, and were arrested and were taken away for questioning, and Ash was left unharmed. Seeing as his opportunity of escape from the scene, Ash stood up and nonchalantly walked towards the hospital like he hadn't even been in the situation. He was almost home free but then he was caught when someone spoke to him,

"Well, well, well...aren't you going to thank me for savin' your life?" Ash turned around slightly and saw one of the many Officer Jenny's; well this particular Jenny was different, she was the Chief of the Viridian City police department,

"Well I could have handled that situation myself, but thanks for helping out anyway." He replied, Jenny smiled at him, and then her face turned down to a worried demeanor when she noticed how depressed or seriously focused he looked,

"Is there something wrong?" She asked him, the worry was clear in her voice and on her face.

"I just have a few things on my mind." Jenny knew that when he said that he had "a few things" on his mind then that meant he could come up with millions of things on his mind.

"So then I guess you've decided to see Joy about it."

"Well I WAS, but then these Team Rocket goons decided to try this stunt, and now that it's over I'm going to go see her now."

"Alright then, I hope you feel better Ash." Jenny said as she waved and walked off,

"Yeah...better...he said aloud as he hurried into the hospital...

After all of his testing, Ash waited quietly in Dr. Joy's office for the results to come back and for him to realize how crazy he really was. Finally after a while of sitting by himself, Dr. Joy came into the office,

"Well Ash, your tests have all come back positive, you're not insane!" She said and was happy to say it, Ash on the other hand didn't feel like that was the answer he was looking for, well actually it WAS, but it didn't explain the weird dreams he was having lately.

"Well what about those dreams?" Joy walked up to him,

"I hate to be the one to say this, but it may not be a mental or physical problem at all, it may be an emotional withdrawal, probably rooted from when Misty left..."

"DO NOT TALK ABOUT HER!" Ash yelled as he jumped to his feet, he had no idea why it just happened like that, but as soon as he heard Misty's name he just got angry. Joy certainly looked worried when this happened; Ash noticed the look on her face and sighed, sitting back in the chair,

"I'm sorry...I don't know why I suddenly just sounded angry, it's just that...I really don't need to be thinking about her..." Joy understood completely, it wasn't everyday thing that occurred; this was a life-changing event.

"I understand, but I suggest you start at least to think about it, it maybe the only way for you to overcome this." Joy said as she took a pad of paper and wrote down a number,

"I'm going to give you the number to my sister in Celadon city; she's a psychiatrist and may be able to help you with your problem." She gave Ash the paper,

"Make sure you can call as soon as you get home, or better yet I'll call and set up an appointment for you. For now, just rest and if anything's wrong call her as soon as possible."

"Sure, I'll talk to you later." Ash said as he quickly walked out of the hospital. He quickly got in his car and drove back home, trying to forget what had happened earlier.

Ash entered his house with a heavy sigh, at once he was tackled by Pikachu, who was still the same size and weight as he was years ago, but now his Pokémon was much stronger because of all the training.

"Pika Pi!" (Translation: Ash!) The Pokémon cheered at the return of his friend,

"Hey Pikachu, did you have a nice nap?" Ash said with a smile as he rubbed Pikachu on his head, Pikachu gave a happy cry and jumped off of Ash. As soon as Ash got to his feet he heard his mother from the kitchen,

"Ash! Get in here now!" His mother yelled, Ash smiled and walked into the kitchen where his mother was waiting for him,

"Yes mom?" Ash asked sweetly, knowing that she was going to yell at him,

"Where were you this morning! I was worried sick about you!" Ash walked up to his mother and wrapped her up in a big bear hug,

"I'm sorry mom, next time I'm write you a note. I only went to town for a moment." Mrs. Ketchum accepted the warm hug, and then she pushed her son away from her as if she were angry,

"Well don't do it again! Anyway Brock called a few minutes ago and say that he wanted to see you as soon as you could, he said something about it being very urgent and he needed to talk to you as soon as you could."

"Oh so Brock finally decided to call, I guess I should head over there to see what he wants. C'mon Pikachu." Ash said as he and Pikachu waved bye to Mrs. Ketchum and walked out of the house. Pikachu hopped in the passenger's side of Ash's car and buckled up tightly, Ash slid into his seat and before he got a chance to start the car, a picture fell from the dashboard and onto his lap. He picked up the picture slowly and gazed at it. It wasn't just an ordinary picture, it was a picture of him and Misty about 8 months back, when they were still together, and he was content with his life. Overwhelmed with emotion from the past few hours, he started to feel tears in his eyes. Before his emotions got the best of him, he put the picture in the glove box and wiped his eyes, started the car and drove off quickly. Pikachu had just witnessed the event and just like many times before felt sorry for his friend. Six months ago Ash seemed very happy, so happy that in fact he brought the engagement ring for Misty, hoping to fulfill his entire dream and reach true happiness. But after she left, he was reduced to a gloomy and depressed being that didn't seem like he amounted to anything anymore. He tried to hide his depression from the whole world, but it was scrawled all over his face. Practically the entire planet knew that he still loved her, but they also knew that she was gone and most likely never coming back. Ash mumbled to himself about a psychiatrist and then shook his head, and Ash focused on meeting an old friend, although never knowing what was to happen to him as he entered Pewter City.


	2. A new problem

"Well this place certainly looks different." Ash said as they entered Pewter City, the once peaceful town was now a hustling and bustling metropolis. The streets were lined with stores and shops, and tons of people filled the streets. It was almost as crowed as Celadon on one of its busy days. Tall buildings had replaced the old, worn down ones, and the buildings that were old and still standing, like the gym for example were hidden in the twisting back allies. Ash found a place on the curb to park and got out on the passenger's side, so as not to get run over by all the speeding cars in the area. Pikachu took his usual spot atop Ash's head and kept a lookout while Ash walked through the city. Occasionally fans asking for his picture or an autograph surrounded him, he agreed most times, still wondering just HOW many people watched his match many years ago when he became the famous name on the entire planet. Today he quickly found sanctuary in the alleyways that the gym was by. Ash stopped by the gym when he noticed two men in black suits standing by the door, sunglasses on to conceal their faces and shifting their weight to each leg nervously. Like something was going on inside the gym and it was taking longer than they expected. Pikachu jumped off from Ash's head,  
  
"Ok Pikachu, you distract them while I run around to the back door and get in okay??" Pikachu nodded his head as he walked over to the two men, standing right in front of them,  
  
"Go away." One of the men said as he pushed Pikachu in the opposite direction with his foot, Pikachu jumped up on the man's head and started to bite his head, the man yelled and tried to throw Pikachu from his head, and as soon as the other man went to get Pikachu, he jumped off of his head and he man was tackled. They both fell to the ground and Pikachu jumping on top of them. Ash hurried around to the back of the gym and used the set of spare keys that Brock had given to him. He walked inside and suddenly stopped at the end of the corridor when he heard voices, he silently slipped into the room and saw a man, standing with his back to Ash, and sitting tied down to a chair, was Brock, bloody, bruised, and beaten.  
  
"I'll give you one last chance, you tell us where she is and I'll spare your life!!!" The man said as he struck Brock again in his head, Brock's head snapped back, and he slowly lowered his head,  
  
"I'm telling you, I don't know anything!!!!" The man hit him again, this time with a much harder blow to his head than the last time, Ash turned very angry, so angry in fact that he pulled out the switchblade that he carried with him and looked back at the scene taking place in front of him. He was going to scare the man to make him go away, but if he had to cut him, he certainly would, and that would be his punishment for hurting his friend. Suddenly from the front door entered Pikachu, looking just as fierce as ever, electricity emanating from his cheeks as he got ready to let loose his power full force, the man walked towards the Pokémon, and that's when Ash made his move. He came forward and stood in front of Brock, who was surprised to see Ash there.  
  
"Hey you, I wouldn't touch my Pikachu if I were you." Ash said as the man turned around and regarded Ash with steel gray eyes.  
  
"Well, well, well.if it isn't the great Pokémon master, I didn't expect you to be here, all the more reason to deal with the both of you right now." The man said as he walked back towards Ash and Brock, each footstep echoed through the entire gym.  
  
"And what makes you think you'd be able to get rid of me?" Ash spouted a reply as the man finally realized the switchblade in his hand, he twirled it around his fingers and he knew it made the man very nervous, but he wasn't going to show it.  
  
"I don't think you know what you've gotten into little boy, why don't you take your Pikachu and go home." Ash laughed at the man's insult,  
  
"I think it's YOU who doesn't know what he's gotten himself into, you think you have the authority to go wherever you want to and beat up people just to get what you want." Ash spat out as he stepped in front of Brock, tightly holding his switchblade in his hand. The man didn't seem like he was going to back down, he started toward Ash and pulled out a knife of his own,  
  
"If you must know, this certain gym leader has the whereabouts of a little runaway that had escaped from us about a week ago, we want her back so he's going to tell us, whether I have to kill you and him in the process to do it!!"  
  
"I would like to see you try!" Ash replied, the man soon charged toward Ash, the knife gleaming in the light as he tried to ram the knife through Ash's heart. Ash quickly assessed the situation, if he moved out of the way, the man would certainly hurt Brock intentionally, so he decided to take the blow and get as less damage as he could. He turned and put his arms in front of his chest as the man came in, both of his arms were cut, but it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it was if he got it in the heart. He kicked the man away and ran forward, first slashing him across his arm. The man yelled in extreme pain and the knife fell out of his hand, it hit the floor with a loud ting and Ash kicked it out of the man's reach,  
  
"Now, you listen to me, you have no authority over other gym leaders when I'm around, whoever your boss is, I'm going to let you go to him and tell him you failed to gather any information, it would prove more effective than any method I would use to punish you. Now get out, and don't ever try to come back here. There will be much more SEVERE consequences if you do." Ash replied, pointing the knife in his direction, the man looked at Ash evilly, then looked behind him to Brock,  
  
"Don't think you've gotten away so easily just because he was here to save you. Remember that well." He said as Pikachu escorted the man out of the gym, giving him an extremely big shock on the way out. Ash turned to Brock; he seemed to be hanging on to consciousness by a thread. He cut his friend free of the rope and Brock nearly fell out of the chair, Ash caught him and held him upright so he wouldn't fall to the floor.  
  
"Brock? Brock, say something! Are you alright, do you hear me??" Ash said as he lightly shook Brock on his shoulder, after a few seconds Brock opened his eyes just a slight bit and looked at Ash, his eyes were glazed over, a true sign of pain by far. Blood trickled down his face and the rest of his body, he had been beaten badly, and now Ash regretted that he let the man go without damaging him more.  
  
"I'm.I'm okay." Brock said weakly as he tried to get out of the chair, but Ash kept him sitting,  
  
"No, you stay sitting, after all the blood you lost you'll just pass out of you stand and try to walk around." Suddenly the door to the gym opened. Pikachu was about to do something about the unknown intruder, but then stopped when he saw who it was. Ash heard the sound of heels clicking on the hard steel floor. Ash turned around and suddenly was shocked into silence when he saw who was standing right in front of him. Out of all the people in the world, it was Misty. Her hair was now twice as long as six months ago, she was wearing a light blue dress that complimented her eyes and she looked somewhat broken or misused. He just stood there and stared at her, holding back the urge to run to her, kiss her, hug her and ask her where she had been for the past six months. But that urge was easily suppressed by the overwhelming anger and sadness that had built itself up in his heart.  
  
"What are you doin' here?" He asked her, she could tell that the anger that was in his voice was meant to be there, and he had the right to be mad, she left him with no word for six months, and now she suddenly just appears out of nowhere. Misty was about to respond, but she gasped when she saw Brock sitting in a chair, bloody and on the verge of unconsciousness.  
  
"Brock!!!!" She exclaimed as she ran over to her friend, "What happened?? Who did this to you??" She asked Brock, he nodded his head and told her he was okay. Ash motioned for Pikachu to hurry up, Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder and he headed for the door, before he got a chance to leave, Brock spoke up and stopped him,  
  
"Ash wait!!" Ash stopped, but didn't turn around,  
  
"What was the purpose of bringing me here? Was it that you knew SHE was going to be here.did you plan this out?"  
  
"You have to know the truth Ash, about what really happened." Brock replied, Ash turned around and regarded the two with very cold and seemingly evil eyes,  
  
"The truth? I know the truth! Frankly I don't think anything will fix all the pain I was put through all this time!!!! Now Brock.if you want to talk to me, you can, but only when SHE is gone." Ahs said coldly as he opened the door, and left the gym. Misty watched him go, and hearing everything that he had said about her, she fell to her knees and started crying. Brock looked over at her,  
  
"Don't worry Misty, he'll understand once we tell him what happened to you, he'll have to understand what you went through as well."  
  
* * * *  
Ash got into his car and was quickly about to drive of when something stopped him, as he sat there, tears began to roll down his face. Pikachu saw what was going on and immediately jumped to his friend's side. Ash held Pikachu in his arms and out of nowhere started to cry, he had no idea why he was so upset, I mean Misty had left him so long ago, and why should he care that she was back? After a few moments to compose himself, he started the car and drove toward home. 


	3. Realizing the obvious

When Ash entered the house; Mrs. Ketchum immediately noticed something was wrong; his eyes were a bit red and puffy, like he had been crying for quite sometime.  
  
"Ash, are you okay?" She asked him, Ash walked by her, she ran in front of him and stopped him before he could go up to his room,  
  
"Did something happen at Brock's? Please Ash; tell me what's wrong. Brock called here just a few minutes ago asking if you were here." Ash looked at his mother, she could read his feelings simply by looking at the expression on his face, he was terribly depressed and sad all of a sudden, and it all seemed to have happened when Ash when to go see Brock. Mrs. Ketchum knew she wouldn't be able to talk to him in his current state,  
  
"Go on and go to your room, lie down for a while and if you feel like talking after that come get me okay?" She said to him, he didn't respond, he just turned and walked up the stairs without one word or any comment. He fell down on his bed, and as he thought, his mother came into the room and sat down next to him,  
  
"Please tell me what happened Ash, I want to know." His mother said, sincerely worried about him, he turned toward her and closed his eyes,  
  
"Don't worry about it, it's not important anyway." Soon the doorbell rang a few times and there was a frantic knock at the door. Mrs. Ketchum stood up and hurried down the stairs, after a moment there were hurried footsteps, and into the room burst none other than Brock, Ash sat up and regarded Brock with cold eyes,  
  
"So are you ready to talk now that Misty is gone??" He asked his friend, Brock took one step toward him, and his eyes suddenly got really harsh,  
  
"I'm sick of this!!!! You're just brushing her and me off just because you're scared that I know more than you and you can't trust her! WELL YOU'RE WRONG!!! You've brushed me off for too long about this and now you're going to listen to me right now so SIT DOWN, SHUT UP AND LISTEN!!!" Brock yelled, Ash looked at his friend, and then took a seat on his bed,  
  
"I don't see what good talking about it will do..." Ash commented,  
  
"There you go again, I told you to shut up! Don't think you know so much about this entire situation, because you don't know anything!!! Misty didn't just leave you six months ago, she was kidnapped by Team Rocket!!!"  
  
(A/N: Bum buum buuuuuuuuum!!! Plot twist! Now how many people saw that coming, raise your hands high! *Puts hand in the air *)  
  
"What...what are you saying??"  
  
"MISTY HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED BY TEAM ROCKET SIX MONTHS AGO!!! DO YOU GET IT NOW??!! I searched into it a bit, and so far nothing has linked Giovanni or any of his henchmen to it, it's the work of someone deep in the organization, and so far no leads have come up for me. I even asked Jesse and James and they said they had no idea who could have done something like that, and you know they're reliable. You're lucky Misty even had a chance to escape! The only reason she told me was because she wanted to know if she could tell you and you wouldn't try to take on the whole organization! She somehow escaped from all of that horror and came back to find you and tell you everything that happened!!! She came back to ask for you help now that you finally know!!!" Ash sat there, shocked into silence and totally stunned, he couldn't believe what Brock had just told him. Brock sighed heavily and said, "Ash just come and talk to Misty, she's completely upset and she just only wants to talk to you and tell you everything, so you won't be so mad at her anymore." Ash finally found his voice again; he stood up and replied,  
  
"Alright, if you really mean what you say, and if that's what really happened, I'll go talk to her." Brock looked very relieved,  
  
"Good, because ever since you left she's been crying and refuses to do anything unless she sees you."  
  
"Then let's hurry and see her." * * * *  
  
Misty was lying in bed, Brock had told her to use his room for the day, and she quickly went inside before he could see her shed another tear, she fell onto his bed and cried her heart out. Ash now wanted nothing to do with her because she was hiding that secret, and even though it had nothing to do with him, he didn't even want to hear and explanation. She knew that Brock's plan to get him to listen wasn't going to work, so she may as well just go back to that fortress where she had been taken to and just tell them everything they wanted to know, and she remember what that evil man had said to her the day before she escaped, 'You will fulfill every one of my fantasies without fail.' She still heard his voice, it would haunt her every night, and now that Ash hated her, she was going to hear a lot more of it once she came back to him. She didn't want to go back, but the only person she had ever loved and will ever love doesn't have any sort of mutual feeling toward her. After a while, there was a soft knock at the door to Brock's room, the door slowly creaked open and Brock's head poked in through the opening,  
  
"Misty, are you alright?" Misty turned away from him, closing her eyes she replied,  
  
"I have no other choice now Brock, I have to go back there before I cause anyone anymore trouble. Ash won't accept me now even knowing what happened."  
  
"Well before you do go, someone would like to see you." Misty closed her eyes as she heard footsteps in her room, the person sat down on the bed next to her, and before she knew it she heard a very familiar voice,  
  
"Misty you idiot, why didn't you tell me what was going on?" Misty's eyes snapped open, she turned over and saw Ash sitting on the bed next to her, she wanted to say and do so much right now, but she held it all in, she turned away from him and replied,  
  
"Go away Ash, I know you only came here because Brock asked you to...don't try that with me..." Ash gently grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her over, making her look into his eyes.  
  
"I came here because I wanted to finally find out the truth about what happened, and the only person I want to hear from now is you. Now, tell me the truth Misty. Were you REALLY kidnapped?" He looked intently at her, she looked back at him, then tears welled up in her eyes, and she nodded her head and instantly after burst into tears. Ash held her tight, at least he knew that the reason that she left wasn't because of him, and he knew now that he wasn't going to leave her no matter what.  
  
"You should have just told me what you were going through before you got kidnapped, I cold have helped you then." He said as he tried to comfort her, she cried and it didn't' seem like she would stop no matter what anyone said. Ash held her close and whispered into her ear,  
  
"I still love you Misty, I hope you know that..." Misty managed to calm herself down enough to reply,  
  
"R...really??" She asked him, he looked her straight in the eyes and nodded his head, now refusing to let her go even though she calmed herself. She hugged him back and felt fresh tears run down her face,  
  
"I still love you too Ash, I always have, and I can't or won't stop loving you for anything." She whispered back before she broke down into tears again. After all of the tears and emotions were expressed from her, she finally calmed down and composed herself. Ash finally let her go and stood up, Misty got up right away,  
  
"Why don't you get some sleep for a while, I can ask you what happened later."  
  
"No I have to tell you all of this as soon as I can, I've held this stuff in for too long." Ash walked out of the room where Brock was waiting patiently, he was relieved to see Misty walk out after him.  
  
"Thank goodness, I thought if you couldn't talk her out of it she would have went back." She said with a sigh of relief,  
  
"Well she's not going back, and both of you are gonna crash at my house for a while, since they know that you escaped and that you know about it they'll come after you, they won't suspect me until later." Ash said, sounding confident, but deep down he wasn't really sure of what he was saying, he hoped that Team Rocket, or whoever it was thought Ash hated Misty, then it would be at his place that they would look last.  
  
"Alright let me just pack and we can get going." Brock replied as he walked into the room. Misty stood next to Ash and managed to steal a glance at him, he first looked to his side, then his eyes met hers, he smiled and said,  
  
"I'm glad you're back." Misty smiled back at him and walked to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, she felt his arms around her waist and was then content with her life, and she didn't care what happened to her anymore, just as long as Ash understood what happened to her. At that moment Brock came out of the room, he saw the two of them and smiled, he was just glad that Ash figured out what happened and the three of them can continue along as friends.  
  
"Alright guys let's get out of here." Brock said, Ash let go of Misty,  
  
"Yeah alright." Ash responded as the three of them left. * * * *  
Everyone entered Ash's house, Brock put his suitcase on the ground near the door and Misty held onto Ash, like she had the whole way while they were in the car,  
  
"Mom, we're home." Ash called out, Pikachu ran ahead into the kitchen, coming back with a note from his mother, telling him that she went to the store.  
  
"Alright, we can all take a break for a while, Brock you take the guestroom right upstairs. Misty, since the other guestroom is unavailable, you can take my room."  
  
"No Ash I can't do that."  
  
"I insist, that way I'll know where you are and you'll be safe. We'll have to get some of your stuff at your apartment, unless you just wanna forget and I'll buy you some new stuff."  
  
"I want some of my stuff, some of it you gave me..." Misty replied sheepishly  
  
"Alright then, Brock you stay here we'll be right back." Ash and Misty walked out the house, got in Ash's car and drove away towards Misty's apartment, the sooner they would finish their task, the better off Misty would be... 


	4. A major issue

(A/N: WARNING, THIS PART IS NOT FOR THE WEAK STOMACHED, well it's not that bad just something almost happens, I hope this doesn't change your view on it! Also forgetting to mention that this is the first time in a long time that I updated, well I wont tell you details but it has to do with a giant memory wipe, where I wouldn't have even been able to do this _ also not to mention not being able to FIND the book that held the book, well anyway that's beside the point ONTO THE STORY!)  
  
Misty walked up to the door of her apartment and immediately noticed that the door was ajar, and since she knew that she had locked it before she left all those months ago, she was feeling quite nervous. Ash stepped in front of her and pulled out his knife, opening the door slightly and walking into the front room of her apartment, after a quick search to find it all clear, Ash came back and motioned for Misty to come inside.  
  
"Alright Misty, hurry and pack all the stuff you want to take with you. We don't want to be caught here if what you say is true." Misty agreed and ran out of the main room and into her room. Ash was standing there for only a second until he heard Misty scream in terror. He ran into Misty's room and saw her on her knees, crying with what seemed like no intention to be stopping anytime soon. He didn't know what was wrong with her, but he soon found out when he looked at her mirror. Scribbled on her mirror in blood was a message specifically for her. 'You will be mine.' Ash walked over and knelt down next to Misty,  
  
"C'mon Misty get a hold of yourself, we have to get going. We don't want to hang around and run into the person that wrote that. I'll get your suitcase and you pull out all your things." Ash said as he stood up and ran from the room, coming back with the biggest suitcase he could find in the closet and threw it on her bed. Misty just sat there and continued to cry.  
  
"Misty, listen to me!" He held her shoulders, she looked into his eyes, she was frantic, but he was calm and collected. "You HAVE to stop this crying right now. I know you're upset, and I promise you can cry on my shoulder as long as you want to when we get home. But now is not the time for this, you have to pull yourself together and pack your stuff so we can GET OUTTA HERE!!!" After hearing those words from him, she managed to stop crying and start packing her stuff as fast as she could. A lot of her clothes, a few pictures, personal belongings and stuffed animals that Ash had given to her. While she was packing her stuff, Ash looked out the window, now seeing a black van parked right behind his car. He knew that something was up, and decided to make sure nothing posed a threat to Misty.  
  
"Misty, I have to go outside for a moment okay; you stay in here and keep packing."  
  
"No!! You can't leave me by myself!!!" Ash looked at her, and then pulled her over to the window, he pointed to the van behind his car, they didn't see the two of them in the window.  
  
"My guess is that they came for you. It's just a hunch, but I don't want to find out if I'm right or not. Especially with you so close by I don't want to take that chance. I'm just going to be gone for only a minute maybe more. Once you finish packing, I want you to hide in the closet, just in case someone decides to sneak around the back. Okay?" Misty wiped the tears that accumulated in her eyes and nodded her head. Ash stood up and walked out of her apartment, closing and locking the door behind him. Misty hurried and finished her packing, but instead of hiding in the closet like Ash had told her, she paced the room. After a few seconds, she walked to the window and looked out. She saw Ash standing with his head leaning into the van, talking to the people inside of it. Suddenly there was a bang on her door, followed by a very evil voice.  
  
"Open up little girl! It's time to take you back to where you belong!!" Frightened beyond reason, Misty ran to her closet and closed the door, hiding in the corner and hugging her knees to her chest. She prayed that maybe if she didn't get the door that the man would go away, but it wasn't likely. After what seemed like seconds later, the door came crashing down and there was one pair of footsteps coming into the apartment. "Where are you girl? It's time to return to your master! You were his best whore!!!" Misty stayed inside and was silent, she almost held her breath she was so scared. Hopefully he wasn't the smartest person in the world and thought she was gone. "Come out come out wherever you are whore.you're masters waiting for you to come back to him. I have to admit I wouldn't mind havin' a go with you as well!!!" The man said, he noticed her suitcase and added with a smile, "If you don't come out like a good girl, you're boyfriend will die!!!" He heard a tiny gasp from the closet; he ran over and opened it up, laughing triumphantly as he saw the stricken woman hiding in the closet. "Got ya!!!"  
  
"No!!!" Misty screamed and backed against the corner of the closet, the man's smile widened, he pulled her out of the closet by her arms. Misty kicked and squirmed as hard as she could, and she screamed as loud as her lungs would allow. But her screams fell on deaf ears. The man held her with one hand while shoving the suitcase off of the bed. Then he threw her on the bed, before she had a chance to get away, he grabbed her shoulders and kept her in place, getting on top of her.  
  
"You know something, I've always been jealous of the boss since he snagged you, and he's even given me the permission to do what I want until I get you back, and with that said, I'll violate you in EVERY way!!!!" He laughed evilly, he was crazy Misty already knew, and she knew that if she didn't do anything, he was going to violate her in the sickest fashion imaginable, rape. He put his knee on one of her legs and pinned her underneath him, her dress was hiked up and exposed a part of her thigh, but he wanted to do a lot more than just that. He leaned his face close to her and breathed out, she felt his hot breath on her face and felt the urge to vomit, she let out another scream, maybe it would be too much for his ears to handle. But he didn't' seem fazed at all; in fact a smile crossed his face. Misty was soon repulsed when she felt his tongue run up her neck and to her cheek. She squirmed again and screamed louder than she ever though possible. But she was silenced when he backhanded her across the face and put pressure on her leg with his knee. He continued his torture by ripping the straps of her dress clean off, and Misty quickly went to hold her dress up, but now her hands were now out of the fight. She had always just heard stories of women being raped, never thought she would actually be a victim, maybe just a moment more and Ash would be in to rescue her, but that moment seemed so far away when that evil man stuck his hands under her dress and removed her underwear enough to perform his disgusting ritual. He unzipped his pants and leaned in. "It's time pretty lady! Are you ready?" He said, not really a question, Misty couldn't take it, she yelled out Ash's name one more time, pushing the man back with one free arm, he inched closer to her every second. * * * * Ash waved goodbye to Jenny as she carted off the people who were after his life, Jenny was going to make sure that Ash was there to question the men, just to make sure they got everything they needed out of them. Fearing that he had left Misty alone for too long, Ash hurried up the stairs toward her apartment, when he stopped cold when he heard his name being screamed. No doubt it was Misty, and his heard almost stopped cold when he figured out that it wasn't a good thing that she screamed,  
  
"Misty!!!!" He yelled as he was finally able to move, he ran over the knocked down door and to the bedroom.... Where he stopped cold in his tracks. Misty was lying on the bed, she held her dress up with one hand, and was pushing back a man with the other. The man had now stopped, looking at Ash with the most confused face in the world; his buddies had told him that they would take care of Ash. Ash looked and then his anger rose when he looked over the scene one more time, Misty's underwear was at her thighs, and the man's pants were unzipped. Ash instinctively felt his hand reach for his knife; he charged toward the man and tackled him off of Misty and onto the ground. "What were you doing?!!! HUH?! ANSWER ME NOW BEFORE I KILL YOU!!" The man was now frantic, he didn't respond, "You didn't do anything to her did you?! You better not have touched her!!!!!"  
  
"I-I didn't I swear it! Please don't hurt me I was just following orders!"  
  
"We'll see how good your boss treated you to deserve THIS!!!" Ash raised the knife and the man screamed in horror, as his life was about to have an abrupt end. Ash was about to drive the final blow, but at that point he started having second thoughts, 'C'mon Ash this isn't the time for second thoughts! He RAPED Misty!' His mind told him, he deserved death, but why was he hesitating? He knew that answer before he asked himself, it was because Misty was there, and could he really kill a man with good intentions and scar the one he loved? No, no way. There was no way he could kill that man in front of Misty. Instead, he let the knife drop and beat the living daylights out of him; he wouldn't be able to move for quite some time. The man, now unconscious was lying on the floor in his own pool of blood. Ash stood up, and he looked at Misty for the first time, she was sitting on the bed, she had pulled her underwear back up after she had been freed, she held up her dress with both hands now, and there was a red mark forming across the right side of her face. She had tears running down her face. He started walking to her, she got up and stood there, she seemed so broken, Ash couldn't bear that if he had only taken less time..she wouldn't have been violated. Ash took another step toward her, and then dropped down on his knees, "Misty I'm so sorry!!! This is all my fault! If only I had been here sooner this wouldn't have-"Misty dropped to her knees and hugged him with one arm, keeping the other around her dress,  
  
"Shhhhhh.it's not what you think.. he may have sexually harassed me to an extreme, but he didn't rape me, you.. you stopped him from doing that." She said, tears rolling down her cheek, Ash couldn't believe the good news, but he was still upset that she had been touched at all by that scum. He wrapped his arms tight around her, consoling not only her but himself as well. He had almost screwed up big time, but he was just lucky that Misty had been strong enough to push him away. After what seems like an eternity, Ash let Misty go and looked into her eyes, she seemed all right, but for some reason that wasn't good enough for him.  
  
"Alright, you get yourself changed okay? I'm going to call Jenny and have her come over to take him away." Misty got up and nodded her head; she grabbed a pair of pants out of the suitcase along with a shirt and went into the bathroom. Ash walked over to the phone, but before he even had a chance to pick it up, into her apartment came Brock, Pikachu and Jenny. "What's going on?" Ash asked as they came into her room.  
  
"Is Misty alright? Where is she?" Brock said frantically as he searched the room for the young woman. The three of them looked to one part of the room and gasped when they saw a man lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. Pikachu ran to Ash and noticed he had scratches on his hands; Ash looked down at Pikachu and simply replied,  
  
"I stopped him, that's all that matters." Misty walked out of the room, now changed into what she took into the bathroom with her, fresh tears ran down her face, but other than that she was fine. Brock quickly ran over to her,  
  
"Misty are you alright?" She nodded her head,  
  
"I'm fine; that man over there tried to rape me, but luckily Ash was here to save me." She said as she smiled toward Ash, Jenny walked over to the man and put handcuffs on him, Ash picked him up and threw him over his shoulder,  
  
"Well I guess it's time to take out the trash." He said as Jenny led the way out to her squad car to put another menace behind bars, leaving Brock, Misty and Pikachu inside her apartment.  
  
"So.Did you find anything else out, do you know who the person is now?" Brock asked as he picked up her suitcase and set it back on the bed, Misty sighed and sat down on the bed, shaking her head,  
  
"I still don't have any clue, but that man was working with him. Whoever he was he really wants to get me back." Pikachu jumped up on the bed and sat on Misty's lap, she rubbed his head and sighed again, "If this continues, I'm going to put Ash at risk; I may just have to go back to him." Suddenly they heard another voice,  
  
"Don't you DARE go back there because of me!" Misty looked to the door of her room and saw Ash, he walked over to her and replied, "You shouldn't care if I'm at risk or not what I really care about it if you're safe, and the only way for you to be safe is with me, understand?" Misty felt tears in her eyes,  
  
"But." Ash knelt down next to her,  
  
"Don't argue with me, you know you don't want to go back there, and Brock and I will help you."  
  
"That's right." Brock interjected, Misty looked at the two men, then finally she couldn't hold in her tears anymore, she burst into tears and covered her face with her hands. Ash hugged her,  
  
"It's alright, you don't have to hold back anymore, just remember we'll be here for you no matter what." Ash said to her soothingly as she wrapped her arms around her. After a brief minute or two, she composed herself,  
  
"Thanks, I don't know what I could do without the two of you."  
  
"It's not trouble for us, just as long as you're safe." Brock said as he picked up her suitcase, Ash rose to his feet, Pikachu jumped off of Misty's lap as Ash pulled her to her feet.  
  
"Now c'mon, it's time for us to go home." Misty smiled at him, home.it never sounded so soothing to her, but finally she was away from the torture and be with people who cared for her. 


	5. Calming down

(A/N: I'M SO SORRY FOR ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO WAITED FOR THIS!!! I've just been so busy that I didn't even have time to get it, getting ready to move it hard work I found out, no I don't plan on having this die out, I'm still writing it and it may take a while after now but I promise I'll finish this story out, thank you and please keep your reviews going!!! ^_^)  
  
Mrs. Ketchum heard the door close as she was walking toward the front of the house; she came into the foyer and gasped when she saw Misty standing in the house.  
  
"Misty? Is that really you?" Misty looked up to Mrs. Ketchum, a smile was soon on her face as Mrs. Ketchum ran up to her and pulled her in a tight hug, "It's so good to see you Misty! You're looking quite well since the last time I saw you!" Mrs. Ketchum exclaimed, Misty hugged her back and replied,  
  
"It's good to see you too! How have you been since your operation?" Mrs. Ketchum let Misty go and took her hand,  
  
"Let's talk in the kitchen so you won't just have to stand there." They seemed to just ignore Ash, Brock and Pikachu, who were standing right behind them, it was usually common when the two ladies were together, and so they were used to it,  
  
"Well I better get Misty's room a bit more comfortable, you guys do what you want." Ash said as he picked up Misty's suitcase and walked upstairs to his room. Brock and Pikachu; having nothing to do, went outside to walk around and get calm after what had just happen and to shake the fear that something else was going to happen. * * * *  
Misty and Mrs. Ketchum were sitting at the kitchen table, talking about Misty's unfortunate run in with that evil man earlier that day.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright dear?" Mrs. Ketchum asked Misty, who was doing all she could to keep herself together. Her hands shook slightly on the table and tears ran down her face. "It's going to be alright Misty; the good thing is that nothing happened to you." Misty wiped her tears and sighed,  
  
"But...... but I don't know what will happen to Ash because of all of this...."  
  
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Ketchum asked, Misty shifted nervously in her chair,  
  
"I know he saved me from that horrible event....but I never saw him look so angry in his entire life....he seemed to be a whole different person! I don't want him to change because of me!!!" She started to cry, Mrs. Ketchum calmed her down,  
  
"It's alright Misty, of course Ash would be mad after seeing what that man had almost done to you, no one would be able to take anything like that well."  
  
"But......before I didn't think he cared about me anymore......why now?"  
  
"Misty he's always cared for you, even when you were gone. He's always loved you and even if you were gone for six months and he tried to hate you, but everyone knew that he couldn't. He tried to forget, but he couldn't forget you."  
  
"R-really?" Misty asked incredulously. Mrs. Ketchum nodded her head,  
  
"Would Ash really bring you back here after saying he hated you and wanted nothing to do with you? No he wouldn't have, and now he's going to protect you no matter what, remember that Misty, because it is the truth." Misty took a second or two to think about that, and then wiped her tears away, Mrs. Ketchum was right, if he didn't still have feelings for her then he wouldn't have brought her back. It also meant that he believed her situation, which she was glad for that. Soon Ash came into the kitchen, he walked right over to the table and pulled Misty out of her chair, turning to his mother,  
  
"If you'll excuse us mom, I will be taking Misty to her room." He smiled at Misty as he led her up to his room; he stopped in front of the door that led into his room.  
  
"Just before you left, I decided to fix up my room since I thought we were going to be living here together, I hope you like it." He opened the door and they both walked in. At once Misty gasped and looked around the room; the walls were painted a beautiful light blue color and most if not all the items in the room reminded her of her childhood that she had spent traveling with her two best friends. On one of the dressers was a picture of Ash Misty and Brock when they were just starting their adventures, and one was from about a year ago, and she also noticed the engagement ring that was apparently for her lying on the dresser right next to a picture of her and Ash that had been taken not too long ago. Ash walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist. "So, do you like it?" Misty turned to face him,  
  
"Like it? I love it!!!" She hugged him tightly, "I'm so glad I got this second chance, someone up in heaven must really like me!" They both laughed as they walked further into the room, Ash sat down on his bed while Misty stood by the dresser and looked at the pictures of her past, she remembered the good times that the three of them had and wished that their lives were like they were in the past. After a few moments her gaze fell onto the ring, it was absolutely breathtaking, and only if she had told him about what was going on before she could have already been married to him and never have left. She took the ring and slipped it on her left ring finger. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ash, who was looking out the window and the beautiful sunset. She leaned against him and held his hand, the diamond on her ring shining with the light of the sunset, Ash noticed the ring on her finger and looked to Misty,  
  
"Misty, I don't think we should be thinking about marriage right now. We need to figure out who kidnapped you and why. When all of that is figured out, then maybe we can think about marriage."  
  
"But Ash, I ran away from that place in order to be with you, as long as you're here with me I can face anything. Please don't deny me that." She replied as she gave him a small kiss on the lips. Ash put his arms around her, letting out a heavy sigh.  
  
"You're right, I'm glad I have you back with me. Earlier today I didn't think we would be close if that man would've gone through with his plan, I still didn't think so afterward. But luckily for me you proved me wrong." Misty snuggled close to Ash and closed her eyes,  
  
"Well I'm glad I did. I didn't want you thinking you were responsible for anything that might have happened to me. I still need to tell you how I got kidnapped." Ash, at the mention of her telling him about what happened, squeezed her a bit tighter, not really wanting to hear but interested.  
  
"Alright, I want to hear everything that happened." Misty sighed, and then recalled everything that she remembered.  
  
"Well, to tell you the truth, it wasn't just the six months; I had been receiving threats about six months before I was kidnapped and only realized after six months that this person was serious."  
  
"Misty then why didn't you tell me about this if it went on for a whole six months before you got kidnapped???" Ash asked her,  
  
"Just listen for a minute. I didn't believe anything would happen to me, and I didn't want to bother you with anything lame since you seemed so swamped with work for the league and all...besides I thought it was just one of my fans or something. But after about three months the letters would start to get more and more vicious, this guy, he told me what he was going to do to me after he got a hold of me, and all of his plans to get you out of the picture. After six months of this I finally decided to tell you about it. Do you remember the last night we spent together?" Ash recalled the event,  
  
"Yeah, you seemed very worried or preoccupied with something. I tried to get you to tell me what was wrong but you refused......"  
  
"After a while I decided that I was going to tell you......I was just about to tell you......" Ash cut in, remembering everything that happened after that.  
  
"......then the phone rang. Gary said he wanted me to come over his house quickly to test something out......I let you go home by yourself......" He trailed off, seeming very distant; he looked at Misty, who still had her eyes closed, tears now ran down her face. "Oh Misty, if I had only known......I wouldn't have left you! I'm so sorry!!!"  
  
"It's not your fault. I should have told you before things got out of hand, I knew you would have protected me but I'm didn't want to bother you."  
  
"Well that's not going to happen again, and you're not going to live in the past again. From now on I'm going to protect you like I ought to. You're going to stay with me so I can keep a close eye on you." Misty smiled,  
  
"Well, that's one thing that we can both agree upon." She looked into his eyes, and leaned forward and kissed him passionately. Ash felt himself get lost in the moment, but after a few seconds, he pulled away before he got too involved.  
  
"I'm sure you're very tired after the day you've had. I'll let you get some sleep." He let go of Misty and stood up, Misty quickly stood up also,  
  
"What?! No you can't leave me here by myself!!!!" Ash turned and looked to her, smiling at her like he always had before. That alone had almost made her forget everything that was going on.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm gonna pull out an air mattress and sleep in here with you. You're not going to be alone anymore, but get some rest. If you need me just call me and I'll be right up." Ash left the room, Misty felt tears in her eyes, for some reason, just hearing those words from him made her feel so much better. She couldn't go to sleep now. She quickly ran out of the room and down the stairs to where Brock and Pikachu were sitting on the couch. Misty sat down on the couch as Pikachu ran to her and sat down on her lap, curling into a ball and quickly falling asleep. Brock sat next to her,  
  
"So Misty, ya feel any better?" He asked  
  
"Yeah, thanks to the two of you. Thank you so much Brock for taking me in a few weeks back, I didn't know what I would have done if you weren't there."  
  
"It was no problem. I'm just glad you came back to everyone." He checked his watch and sighed, "But unfortunately for me I missed a photo shoot today and I'm going to get killed by my agent, I can see it now."  
  
"I'm sorry; you wouldn't have missed it if it wasn't for me." Misty replied, lowering her head, Brock patted her on the back,  
  
"Don't worry about it, I'll give them and explanation that'll be good enough for them, but just in case I'll let them call me." He rested his head on the back of the couch, "I thought this modeling thing would really make the ladies want me, but it was a bit too much!" Misty laughed, then replied,  
  
"Oh yeah that reminds me, I remember seeing one of the modeling shows on TV while I was captured. You looked fantastic and it made me feel like nothing was happening at all."  
  
"Well of course I had to look fantastic, but I certainly didn't FEEL like it after knowing that you were kidnapped and that Ash had not known anything about it."  
  
"Thanks for keeping it a secret, I'm very grateful to you, and hopefully I won't be leaving again now that I'm back."  
  
"Now that Ash knows what's going on, he'll probably kill anyone that gets close to you before you're taken away from him." Misty agreed,  
  
"You're right; I'll have to make sure that I'm not taken from him then." Soon after that Ash came out of the Kitchen, Pikachu woke up from his light nap and ran over to him, jumping on his shoulder. He turned to Brock and Misty.  
  
"Guys I'm gonna go see professor Oak for a moment, there's this tournament a few days from now that I have to attend. I'll be back as soon as I can." Misty stood yup,  
  
"I'll go with you, I need to get Togapi before he forgets who I am all together." Brock stood up,  
  
"Well if you both are going then I'm not staying here by myself." The three of them left the house and went to professor Oak's lab, not knowing of what troubles awaited them there. 


	6. It's never that easy

(A/N: I'm so sorry you guys, a lot has been going on in my world, involving actually having to get this all back on my computer, but I've finally got it on! And hey! It's a new post! Points for me! Anyway, all my people that liked it, please read and review, I love all of your comments. Thanks! .)

When the gang arrived at the lab, the only person that was around was Gary. He was in his usual sour mood, leaning back in the chair behind the desk and his feet resting on them. As soon as they entered the room, Gary was going to just scowl and look away, but the presence of Misty seemed to brighten up his day completely, but only added to the very evil sneer on his face.

"Well, well, well Ash. Looks like your bird finally decided to come back home! Too bad, I was getting used to how quiet you had gotten." Gary said with a snicker, Ash glared at Gary, not really wanting to have to confront him, but not caring in the least who was around, Ash hadn't spoken to Gary friendly in years, and maybe now was the time to set him straight.

"So what Gary, why do you care so damn much? Unless you want to try to hit on her again, and I'll certainly give you what I gave you the last time." He stepped toward the desk where Gary was. Gary got out of his chair and sat on top of the desk right in front of Ash, almost calling him out, wanting to see what he would do. Misty glanced over at Brock, who just shook his head. Gary looked to Misty and smiled, he pushed himself to his feet and made his way over to him, passing Ash as if he wasn't even there. Misty looked to him as his smile widened. He placed his hand on her shoulder and drew his face close to hers, like he was going to share a secret with her, but Ash grabbed him by his shirt before he had the chance to get close enough. "Don't you dare think you're going to do anything while I'm around, unless you want to see how strong I've gotten over the years. If you want a broken arm then just try me." Ash said forcefully, Gary stared Ash straight in the eyes, and shrugged his hands off.

"Humph." Gary grunted as he glared at Ash once more before exiting through the front doors of the lab. Misty looked at Brock again,

"What was that all about?" Brock looked to her

"Surprised you never noticed before, Ash and Gary always went at it when you were around, throwing insults around and even brawling at matches, they even got disqualified at a tournament because of a fight they had. I guess now that you're back, they're going to be at each other's throats again." Misty looked to Ash, who was looking past her to the entrance where Gary had exited, finally his eyes focused on her and he looked downright sad.

"Sorry about that Misty, I guess there's no such thing as a warm welcome anymore."

"You don't have to be sorry, I didn't come back to be welcomed, I came back to see you." Ash smiled at her warmly and was about to reply but he turned around when he heard a voice,

"Well that certainly was unnecessary of him, after all you have been gone a long time." Professor Oak said as he walked into the room, his cane aiding him in the distance it took him to walk from the door to the group. His old age was catching up with him, but he was still just as stubborn and just as willing to keep working on his research as he could. "It's very nice to see you Misty, it's been a while." Misty walked over to Professor Oak and hugged him tightly,

"It certainly is, I've missed everyone since I've been gone." Professor Oak looked toward Ash,

"I am really sorry about Gary, it seems he's been very sour since the day he lost the championship to you. It seemed like so many years ago, but he can't let go of anything can he?" Ash nodded his head but said nothing; he knew the exact reason why Gary hated him so much. "So Ash, are you still attending that tournament next week?"

"Sure am, I just came to get all the info." Ash replied as he looked back toward the door where Gary had left.

"I'll get it for you, I'll be back." Professor Oak left the room from where he came from, Ash looked to Brock,

"Maybe I should take Misty home, with Gary around I don't feel safe myself being over here." Ash agreed,

"Yeah, thanks, I'd rather not have her go home alone…take Pikachu with you just in case." Brock put an companionable arm around Misty and the three of them left, Pikachu leading the way with sparks coming out of his cheeks. Prof. Oak came back as soon as they were gone, when he noticed that Ash was the only one left in the building, his tone of voice changed.

"You know Ash, it was a very bad idea to have brought Misty here, I know you're happy that she's back and all, but I'm worried about her safety." Prof. Oak said as he handed Ash all the information about the upcoming tournament.

"Yeah I should have known that with Gary around." Ash replied as he took all the information and was about to leave, but Prof. Oak stopped him,

"Wait Ash, I'm afraid that you don't understand what I'm saying. Things are way different than they used to be."

"How so?" Ash asked curiously, Prof. Oak wouldn't say anything serious like that unless something bad was about to happen.

"Gary has been acting very strange over the years that you and him broke contact. He's been asking me a lot of questions about how you've been handling Misty's disappearance. He asked about how you two got along when you were younger, and he even asked questions about her as well."

"What kind of questions?" Ash asked, his anger rising inside of him,

"Well, He asked what she ever saw in you, he wanted to know a lot of personal things, likes and dislikes, and even her hopes and dreams for the future."

"What did you say to him?" Ash responded quickly, his anger now showing slightly. But he quickly calmed down when Prof. Oak smiled at him and replied simply,

"Misty's always talked to me about those things, and I never intended to share it with anyone, especially if that someone wasn't you. He may be my grandson, but he has changed since he was little. Besides…" He chuckled slightly, "I wouldn't even tell you what she said…but…just make sure you keep an eye on Gary, for Misty's safety at least…"

"Thank you professor, I certainly will now that you have said something." Ash left the lab, soon after the doors were closed; he heard a voice from the shadows,

"So Ash, you think you're the big man now that your girl came back?" Ash looked behind him and saw Gary come out of the shadows, an evil scowl on his face. Ash didn't feel like being in any confrontations tonight, he had to get back to Misty. But since he was alone, he didn't mind exchanging a few nasty words with him,

"So Gary…still sore about the bet we made way back?" Ash said with a tiny hint of a small, evil smile on his face. Gary's anger rose,

"It was only by a small fluke that you won the match! And the bet!" Ash snickered,

"Oh yeah right Gary, Pikachu fought all of yours and didn't even spend a half hour in Joy's care. I think you know how I won…it was skill, and it was also skill that helped you lose the bet. And besides…I already won that bet before we even agreed…you should know that." Gary's anger rose substantially,

"I suggest that we make another bet then! I bet that Misty will be mine no matter what!" Ash smiled evilly,

"You're on! But don't cry when ya lose!"

"You better watch your back!" Gary threatened as he stormed off, Ash walked back toward his house.

Ash walked into the house quietly and saw Brock sitting on the couch,

"Hey, where's Misty?" Brock turned and regarded Ash's presence,

"She's upstairs trying to go to sleep, I sent Pikachu up there to guard the door just in case."

"Alright, thanks man." Ash replied as he walked up the stairs, he saw Pikachu walking back and forth in front of the door, his cheeks flaring with electrical energy. "At ease buddy." Ash said as Pikachu turned around and immediately powered down. Ash rubbed his head and smiled at him, "Thanks Pikachu, you can go rest now okay?" Pikachu nodded his head and hurried down the stairs to sleep. Ash opened the door to the room and saw Misty sitting up in bed; she looked towards the door and was relieved when she saw Ash. "Ready for bed Misty?" She sighed with relief and laid down in bed,

"I couldn't sleep knowing you were out and something could happen to you…" Ash sat down on the bed next to her,

"Don't you worry about me Misty, I'm going to be alright, Gary's got nothing on me, he doesn't know what's been going on in the years I've been training. He doesn't scare me, and he shouldn't scare you either." He ran his fingers gently through her hair; she smiled at him and closed her eyes as he stroked her head.

"I can finally rest easy with you around…" She said quietly, Ash smiled and replied.

"I'm glad I could be of some help, let me get the mattress and I'll be right back." He was about to stand up and leave, but Misty grabbed his arm.

"Ash you don't need to get that, you can just sleep next to me tonight."

"I don't know, I don't want to bring up anything that might have happened to you while you were gone." Misty understood what he meant, he didn't even know half of what had happened to her, and yet he was being so compassionate, she couldn't ask anymore of him.

"Will you…stay by my side until I fall asleep?" Ash smiled warmly at her,

"Of course I will, I'll always be beside you anyway, don't worry about that." Misty smiled back at him and rested her head on her pillow; Ash sat on the bed and held her hand, smiling warmly at her the entire time. "Goodnight Misty, sweet dreams." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, she yawned and in minutes was in dreamland. Her warm grip on his hand loosened as she drifted deeper into sleep. The longer Ash sat there, the less he wanted to leave her, even for a second. "Maybe I'll just stay up tonight…" He said quietly to no one in particular. Suddenly he remembered the dream that he had just the night before, and every other night before then. He hadn't even thought about his dream since Misty came back, but for now he didn't care about anything else but Misty, her safety was his top priority, his dream would have to take a back seat to that. Soon there was a soft knock on the door, "Come in…" Ash said quietly as the door open and Brock walked into the room.

"Is she alright?" He asked as he walked over and sat down in a chair.

"She'll be just fine. Just as long as Gary doesn't come near her."

"You don't think he'll try to get together with her do you? I mean, I thought Gary was stupid, but I didn't think he was bold enough to mess with your girlfriend. What do you think?" Ash sighed heavily,

"With what Prof. Oak just told me, I have no doubt in my mind that he'll try anything and everything that he possibly can to win her over.

"What did the professor say?" Brock asked, Ash looked to Misty, seeing if she was asleep, and then told him what Prof. Oak said. After he was over, Brock looked at him, utterly shocked. "Wow…that's very serious…if you want, I can help you out too. He can't get to her, over my dead body at least."

"Same here, but there may be a way to keep her safe. Practically everyone's going to be at the upcoming tournament and conference. She could bring out her Pokémon and represent the Cerulean City gym with her sisters. Her sisters know about Gary, and they'll protect her if she needs it, she'll be around you, me, or them the entire time, plus if I can get more people to help, we'll have a network of intelligence for the whole thing, if he so much as sneezes we'll know about it.

"Pays to be the Pokémon Master I guess, you get to get away with practically anything." Brock said, "But Misty can handle herself ya know, she's done it before around Gary, you know what happened the last time he tried something."

"I know…" Ash said and sighed "but the thing is, I don't know how long this thing has been boiling inside of Gary, he could just be sour for losing to me, but this thing with Misty is long lived, he's hated me forever for it, we don't know how long he's been keeping it inside of him. Who knows what he's planning to do to keep her to himself." Brock stood up, nodding,

"That may be true, but she has you, so she needn't worry am I right?" Brock replied as he smiled to Ash, who seemed to relax,

"Yeah, that's true, well, thanks…for helping her out, and for bringing me back to my senses."

"It's no problem, I'm going to sleep downstairs today, just in case we need it, see you in the morning." Brock said as he left the room, closing the door behind him. Ash, even though he knew Brock was right, he still felt himself grow worried. But the thing was, he was never going to show Misty those fears, she had already seen him flip out once, and more emotions would make her worry about him, when she needed to worry about her own well being. He sighed heavily, just the first day home, and the two biggest threats had been imposed on her, and although she had come out of it unhurt, Ash was worried that something worse might happen. He only hoped that nothing else would happen and he could go back to normal. He had hoped that the dream had also come to an end with Misty's return, like the doctor had said, but he wouldn't get his hopes up. Just to make sure he wouldn't have the dream, he'd stay up the night just to watch over Misty. She didn't need to know about the dream, and he didn't really want to be asleep if something happened. He stayed kneeling by the bed the entire time, looking out the window every so often. Tomorrow he'd call Misty's sisters and let them know what was going on, they'd be infuriated with what Gary was trying to do, and they'd agree to help out by any means necessary. When he thought that, Misty mumbled something in her sleep about finally being back home, and then drifted off to a deeper sleep, saying nothing afterward. Ash smiled and kissed her hand, he hadn't thought about it when she was gone, but he wondered how he could have ever survived without her, even only for a half of a year. He had hated her briefly for the wrong reasons, and now he was going to do anything in his power to protect her. Before he realized it, he started to get tired, he tried as hard as he could to ward off the darkness of sleep, but it finally overtook him as he drifted off to sleep.

The blade of the man's knife barely missed Ash's chest, but it cut him good in the stomach,

"Argh!" Ash cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, no matter where he was and in what lighting, he couldn't see the man's face; he was covered in a cloak.

"If you think you can get away from me Ash, you're sadly mistaken! If you can, then I have a surprise for you!" Suddenly to Ash's horror, he heard a female scream, recognizing it immediately,

"Misty!" He called out,

"Ash Help me!" She called back, suddenly a light came on and he gasped when he saw her, she was chained to a wall, the only thing covering her was a sheet. She couldn't see where Ash was because she had been blindfolded. Ash quickly mustered up as much strength as he could and started over to her,

"Misty I'm coming, don't be afraid!" He called to her, he didn't know what else to say, the man could be anywhere; he feared what he would do to Misty if he didn't get there in time. Misty cried and called for Ash, he called back, making sure she knew that he was still there. He staggered over to her, but before he made it, he felt a knife in the back of his leg and yelled out in pain, falling over to the floor. The figure finally stepped into the light by Misty, but the cloak had stopped Ash from ever seeing the man's face.

"Sorry Ash, but you can't have your Misty back!" He knelt down by Misty, "Sorry love, but this is for your own good, you deserve so much more than that slime can offer, just let me prove it to you." Much to Ash's disgust, the man leaned over and kissed Misty, it sent a fiery rage through Ash, and he tried to push himself to his feet. Misty cried and tried to pull her face away from the man's but he held her in, continuing the kiss. Finally he broke away, laughing evilly and pulling out another knife, regarding Ash, would was barely able to stand. "Well Ash, what are you gonna do now?" All Ash could do was watch in horror as he saw the man's evil grin as he pulled back the knife and drove it toward Misty's chest.

"No! Don't!"…


	7. A brand new day, and new problems

(A/N: sorry you guys, after that flame I got, I sorta lost hope, but here's what I have so far, it's a chapter, I have to write some more so the next time might take longer, sorry.)

"MISTY!" Ash yelled as he sat up, he found himself resting beside his bed on his knees. Misty woke up with a start after hearing Ash yell her name.

"Ash what is it?" Ash didn't answer her, he stared straight ahead like she wasn't there, he covered his face with his hands and let out a sigh, it was broken and it seemed like he was on the verge of tears. "Ash what's wrong?" Misty said again, trying to get a reaction out of him. He didn't answer her, he put his head down on the bed and his shoulders shuddered slightly, he sniffed back tears. Misty quickly got out of bed and knelt down next to him, wrapping her arms around him and forcing him to rest his head on her shoulder. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, letting out another shaky sigh, "Ash…tell me what's wrong, what is it? You can tell me…" Misty said soothingly as she rubbed his back. Ash desperately wanted to tell her, but he didn't feel that he should worry her about a dream.

"It's…I just thought yesterday was some wonderful dream. I just…I don't know what Gary's up to now, he could try to hurt you during the tournament…I don't want him to do anything to you…" Misty held onto him tighter,

"It's alright, I can protect myself, Gary's not one of my problems, it's whoever kidnapped me." Ash felt tears roll down his face, as much as he tried to sniff them back, it felt good to finally let them go.

"I just…I don't know how I survived without you. It seemed like years…I felt so lost and alone without you. I felt…tortured for something, I don't ever want to go through that again…" Misty heard him try to hold back tears, she felt helpless. She rubbed his back and squeezed him tightly,

"Ash, you shouldn't be tortured for anything, there's nothing you've done wrong, and that'll always be the truth." She stroked his head, she heard him start to calm down, his breathing returned to around normal and he sighed contently as he hugged her. She stood up and helped him to his feet, they both sat down on the bed. It was still night outside, and they still had a few good hours of sleep left. "Lie down and rest for the rest of the night, you need it." Ash quickly snapped awake,

"No!" He realized he sounded very desperate, he calmed himself down, "No…I'm watching over you remember, I have to make sure nothing happens to you, and if I go to sleep I can't do that." Misty kissed him gently, then looked into his eyes,

"You need sleep just as much as I do, we'll sleep next to each other for the night, just like old times. You know as well as I do that you can't seem to let me go during the night." Misty said, trying to make him happier, or at least smile, which she got her wish. He smiled slightly, nodding his head in agreement. Misty laid down and patted the spot next to her, "C'mon Ash, don't be scared, it's not like this hadn't happened before." Ash quietly nodded his head and laid down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into him. She rubbed his back and sighed happily, "Now go to sleep Ash, you'll feel better in the morning."

"But…" Ash tried to protest, but Misty wouldn't hear any of it, she rested her head on his shoulder,

"Hush, don't argue with me, I'm older than you remember, you have to listen to what I say." Ash chuckled quietly,

"Says who?"

"Says me, now to go bed." Ash smiled at her and laughed. He snuggled closely to her and nuzzled his head into her shoulder. He sighed heavily and was asleep in a matter of minutes. Misty watched him sleep for several moments; she smiled happily and pulled him closer as she fell asleep.

Misty slowly awoke in the morning with a quiet yawn. Ash was quietly sleeping in her arms, mumbling quietly in his sleep. Misty felt a smile come across her face, Ash had grown so handsome over the years, but he still retained some of his childish charm from back in their youth days. He snuggled into her, letting out a small sigh. She smiled and kissed his forehead, she ran her hands through his black silky hair, traced her fingers along the lines of his face. She gently ran her fingers along the curves of his eyes, his eyelashes, and his nose and down to his lips. He chuckled quietly in his sleep, he shook his head as she tickled his face and snuggled closer to her. While in his sleep, he kissed her fingers as they rested on his lips. His brow soon became more serious as he fell deeper into sleep. The sun slowly started to peak up behind the horizon, the beginning of a new day. The sun's rays slowly peeked into the room, washing everything in a brightly light. Misty looked to Ash's sleeping form and smiled, she usually was the one who was up first.

"Ash…hey…wake up." She whispered to him. Ash groaned 'no' and buried his head into her shoulder, snuggling closer to her and tightening his hold on her. She smiled and kissed his forehead, "Sweetie, wake up…" She whispered again, Ash didn't respond this time and slept quietly. She sighed and kissed his lips gently as not to wake him. She reluctantly got up and pried herself from Ash's warm grip. Ash groaned in his sleep and instead snuggled with a pillow to try to gain the same warmth as he had done when Misty was lying in bed with him. Misty smiled as she walked from the room. She walked down the stairs and looked over the couch to see Brock asleep, Pikachu resting on his stomach, rising and falling with Brock's breathing. She didn't bother to wake him up; it would be a while before he did. She walked into the kitchen and saw Mrs. K (Ash's mother) sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in her hand. Misty smiled at her and she smiled back, everything seemed to be going good with her since her operation and therapy, she seemed almost back to normal. "Good morning Mrs. K, how are you doing this morning?" She looked up at Misty and smiled warmly as the young woman sat down,

"I'm fine dear, how are you? Feeling any better from yesterday?" She got up and brought Misty come coffee.

"I'm doing so much better, I'm just happy that I got to make Ash better…I heard that his life hadn't been very good or eventful since I was gone." Mrs. K nodded her head,

"Yes, that boy certainly is happy now that you've come back." She looked at Misty's hand and noticed the ring on her finger. She took her hand and looked at the ring on her finger, smiling, "Well, it looks like you two ended up making a rock solid commitment." Misty blushed,

"Yeah, well…he never really asked me out right, I just…put it on myself. He seemed happy about it though…" She trailed off, looking at the ground. Honestly, she at first couldn't even imagine Ash every loving her again. She still believed that he was just being nice to her.

"So…" Mrs. K said, changing the subject, "Is Ash going to take you to see your sisters today? I'm sure they'll be positively happy to see you." Misty smiled,

"Yeah, it's been so long since I've seen them, it seemed like years…" She trailed off again.

"Misty, dear what's wrong?" Mrs. K asked

"I just…I want Ash and Brock to be safe…they're going through so much trouble for me…putting their lives and reputations at stake, all for me." Mrs. K was about to reply, but Ash came in, scratching his head and yawning. Instead she looked up and greeted her son,

"Good morning honey, how did you sleep?" She asked him, Ash nodded his head and yawned,

"I slept alright, is breakfast ready yet?" Mrs. K smiled and stood up,

"I'm going to get started on it right away, wake Brock up so he won't miss out."

"Okay." Ash said to his mother as she turned around, as she did, he leaned down and kissed Misty passionately. She blushed as he pulled away and walked toward the living room, greeting her on the way out, "Good morning Misty, did you sleep well?" He asked from the other room,

"Uh…err…yes, I did. Of course, with you next to me I couldn't sleep bad." Soon Brock stumbled into the kitchen and into one of the chairs, Ash came in and sat down beside Misty,

"Glad I could help. Well, after breakfast we can go see your sisters, would you like that?" He asked her, Brock scratched his head and listened silently to them talking,

"Yeah, but you know Ash, all I want to do is be here with you." She took his hand and squeezed it, Ash smiled gently. Brock squinted and noticed the ring on her finger, he whistled out loud,

"Hoo boy, that is one EXPENSIVE looking ring! When did this happen?" Misty was about to respond that she had taken the liberty of putting the ring on herself, but Ash put a finger over her lips, smiling at her and glancing at Brock,

"Well you know how these things are Brock, I was just filled with so much love that I slipped the ring on her finger and asked her to marry me, like I always had dreamt." His smile widened and he turned to Brock, "Why? Is that a problem?"

"Of course not, I just didn't imagine for it to be so soon." Ash turned to Misty, making funny kissy faces at her. Misty laughed and pushed him away,

"Ash stop it!" Ash laughed and gave her a kiss on the forehead as Mrs. K put breakfast on the table and everyone started eating, and hours later they were all immersed in stories of their youth, talking and laughing. Soon Ash looked at the clock, standing up,

"Oh wow…hey we gotta get goin'! Your sisters are waiting for us." Everyone got up and went off to get dressed, they met out of the house and all jumped into the car, driving off towards Misty's hometown.

(A/N: please review, thank you very much)


	8. Awww, aint it cute?

(A/N: whoops! This one was kind of long, don't worry, I'll supplement with a smaller chapter, I got a question at the end of this, please review with your answer. Thanks! )

"Misty oh my god you've come back!" Her oldest sister, Daisy, exclaimed as she threw her arms around her youngest sister and squeezed her tightly. Misty was caught in Daisy's big bear hug, but didn't struggle to get free; instead she embraced it, feeling tears rushing out of her eyes.

"It's good to see you Daisy, I've missed you all. Where are Violet and Lily?" Daisy kissed her little sister on the forehead,

"Lily and Violet's husband are visiting Violet at the hospital, Violets due with her baby any day now, you know. She was just pregnant before you left."

"I know." Misty said, smiling, "And look at you! After two children you still look just as young and skinny as ever!" Daisy looked embarrassed,

"Misty! We're only four years apart, I'm not some old woman!" Daisy looked behind Misty to see Brock and Ash, who were standing there quietly. "Brock! Hello, how are you?" She rushed to Brock and hugged him, "How come you don't ever come to see us?" Brock smiled and hugged Daisy back,

"I'm sorry, I haven't had the time to Daisy. Where are your kids at?"

"In the pain pool, playing. You know where it is, go visit them." Brock nodded his head and walked into the building. When Brock was gone, Daisy turned to Ash and suddenly slapped him across his face. Misty gasped and stepped in front of Ash,

"Daisy! What's wrong with you?" Ash rubbed his cheek and looked back to Daisy, contrary to what she had just done, she had a slight smile on her face,

"For six months you mope around, wishing you weren't alive, dammit, can't you smile around your sister-in-law now that you've got Misty back?" She smiled wider, Ash smiled as well,

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry Daisy, you know I mean well." He walked to her and hugged her tightly, picking her up off of the ground, she gasped in shock,

"Ah! Ash put me down! That hurts!" Ash laughed and put her to the ground, she rubbed her stomach, "Jeez, you big brute, you don't know your own strength…" She trailed off; Misty blinked and stepped up to her sister.

"Daisy…is there something you're not telling us?" Daisy looked around, blushing slightly, unconsciously rubbing her stomach,

"Yeah, err…well…I'm pregnant again." She blushed hard. Both Ash and Misty's eyes widened, then Ash smiled, putting his arms around both of the women as he started walking them into the building,

"Wow Daisy, you and Dante have certainly been active over the last few years, I think Misty and I will have to get lessons!" Both of the women gasped, Daisy blushed hard and Misty punched Ash in the gut. Ash chuckled. They walked into the main gym, where there was a giant pool; Brock was in the water, playing with Daisy's two kids, Yuki, age 3, and John, age 6. They took one look at their aunt, who hadn't been there in six months, and immediately swam to the edge of the pool and jumped out,

"Misty!" They both cried as they hugged her with their wet bodies, Misty didn't mind it in the least, she embraced them and laughed as they told her how much they missed her while she was gone. Ash smiled at them and stripped down to his swimming trunks and climbed up onto the diving board, diving into the pool. The kids both laughed and jumped back in to play. Daisy and Misty sat down on some pool chairs to talk.

"Soo…" Daisy started, "How did you and Ash ever make up?"

"Brock helped me a lot." Misty replied, watching Ash and Brock play with the kids, "He refused to give up, even when I felt that it was impossible. Brock's such a great guy." Daisy smiled,

"Yeah, but Ash is too, wouldn't you agree? After all, to believe for so long that you had left him, and now here the two of you are, like nothing happened. I've never seen the guy so happy."

"Yeah…" Misty said as she trailed off and sighed,

"What's wrong?" Misty looked to Daisy, and then spoke in a hushed voice,

"Well, I think Ash might be hiding something from me…" Daisy blinked,

"Like what?" Daisy asked,

"I don't know, I don't know if it's important or not, it's got something to do with a dream that he had last night. He wouldn't tell me a thing about it. It really rattled him, it makes me believe that this has happened more than once."

"Why are you so worried about this? Everyone has nightmares Misty, even you."

"Not so bad as to where you wake up yelling your fiancé's name, or one where you'd clearly lie to hide the truth."

"Or maybe he's trying to make sure that you're protected and worry about yourself instead of him. He's done it before, hidden things from you in order to protect you. Now more than usual, and I wouldn't try to force anything out of him yet, even if you could."

"I…I know…but I'm scared. I want him to stay open with me, especially now with this thing with Gary."

"Gary? Misty, you stay away from Gary!" Her sister suddenly said fiercely, Misty was shocked that Daisy would demand something like that. She was usually the one who liked everyone. Daisy realized that she sounded out of her own personality, she calmed down, "I'm sorry Misty. It's just that something really bothers me about Gary. I don't know what it is, but for your own sake please stay away from him." Misty agreed

"I'd stay away from him too. Ash and Brock have warned me enough in the past. Ash almost got in a fist fight with him too." Misty sighed and watched as Ash played in the water with Daisy's kids, a smile on his face.

"Just look at him Misty, you know he only smiles like that when he's really happy, and you know it, you've brought that happiness back into his life. He wasn't like this weeks ago, you're something special to him." Misty watched Ash, seeing the smile on his face, and couldn't help but smile back. She'd do anything to keep that smile on his face. She was torn from her thoughts when they heard the doorbell rang to the reception building. Daisy moved to get up, but Misty got up first,

"I'll get it, you stay here." Misty said as she quickly headed out of the main gym and to the door as the bell chimed a second time. She opened the door, took one look out and gasped. Standing at the door was Gary's sister, May, and it didn't seem like the woman was there for a chat with the sisters.

"Oh…it's you." May said, the haughty tone of voice that Misty remembered from years ago was still there, even after studying abroad. "Where's Ash, I'd like to see him." Misty crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the frame of the door,

"You may not." She replied simply,

"What?" May breathed out, she got angry really quickly. The anger rising and clear in her voice, "I don't know who you think you are little girl. NO sister from this backwater gym will deny me of my right to see Ash, now let me in there or I'll…"

"You'll what?" Misty interrupted, "You insult me and the gym my sisters own right in my presence and you have the nerve to 'demand' that I let you in to see Ash? I wouldn't have let you in even if you had asked me nicely." May glared and Misty, and Misty wasn't intimidated. May turned away, as if to leave, but then she quickly turned back, slapping Misty hard. So hard that it brought tears to her eyes. May took the advantage of Misty's shock and ran past her, following the voices to the main gym. She saw Ash drying off himself with a towel and a small grin spread across her face,

"Ash!" She said as he turned to her, he didn't move, so she closed the distance between them. "Ash it's been so long, haven't you got anything to say to me?" She asked, ready to be showered with affection, and she was certainly surprised when she got nothing.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his face looking all but kind, not like the usual Ash.

"What am I doing here? Why Ash, I'm here to see you! I have seen you in years, is that all you can say?" May replied, looking shocked,

"But apparently years ago when you left, I could never be "man enough" for you. That actually would have hurt me when I still liked you. But at that point, I loved Misty, and at least she, deep down loved me, anything you said or made me believe back then wasn't important when I was with her. And now you come back, for what?" He tilted his head to the side, and then looked behind her, "Oh, and I think someone else has their two cents to put in too." May turned her head and Misty quickly stepped forward, punching May right across the face. May stumbled back, putting her hand to her cheek. Misty's face was red, but she was so angry at the moment that she hadn't noticed it. Brock quickly grabbed Misty's arms and stepped in between the two ladies. He motioned Misty to the side, but she didn't budge. May took her hand off of her cheek and gasped when she realized she was bleeding,

"You bitch! You marked up my face! What did you did me with!" Misty smiled evilly and held up her left hand, the rock from the ring shining in the light,

"Just my left hand, I thought you could handle it. I think it's an improvement to that ugly mug you call a face!" May growled and Misty and clenched her fists,

"May, I think you should leave, unless you want to give your brother an even worse disposition." Ash said, Misty interrupted him,

"No, let her stay, I for one plan on defending the integrity of this gym from the likes of her." Misty stepped out of Brock's way and then back into May's bath. "Well May, how about it? You can beat me right here if you want to try, or you can walk away." Ash rolled his eyes; Misty would never back out of a fight if her pride were at stake.

"Misty please…" He tried reasoning, but she cut him off,

"I know what it is, you're just jealous that someone like me turned out to be this gorgeous right?" She flashed May a smile, and it pissed her off, "I mean, I know I was nothing to look at before, but it wasn't just my time to bloom. And now look at me. Now no man will think of you the same was as I did. I'm the 'beauty of all trainers'. They will always compare you to me." May flared with anger,

"Shut up! This has nothing to do with it! I have you know that I can get dozens more men than you!"

"But you only want one, and he has eyes only for me, that pisses you off doesn't it?"

"SHUT UP!" May screamed, "you think you're so smart and pretty! If you weren't around I could have Ash all to myself!" Misty glared at May,

"I may have left for a while, but I'm back. As long as I'm around, there's no way he's going to you. He wouldn't even consider it, no matter what you tried!" May couldn't take anymore, she ran out of the main gym, Misty waited until she heard the big door slam, and then finally relaxed, shaking her hand.

"Wow Misty, you handled that exceptionally well!" Daisy said after May had gone,

"Who knew her face would be so hard…ow." Misty replied while she shook her hand, Ash finally walked over to Misty and took up her hand, kissing it tenderly.

"You certainly surprised me with that, thanks." He said as he smiled, rubbing her face where she had been slapped, Misty huffed at him,

"I wasn't doing it for you. I did it for myself, man it felt good!" Brock chuckled, then replied,

"Well, we better be careful, she's probably going to go to Gary and cry about what happened."

"Let her, I'll be ready for that bastard." Ash replied, he looked to Misty and then suddenly scooped her into his arms, "But first…" He started toward the pool, Misty gasped,

"Ash? What are you doing?" Ash smiled at her and stopped at the edge of the pool,

"Cooling off your hot head. In ya go!" He said as he tossed her in the pool before she had the chance to object. Misty splashed into the water and came up to the surface later, everyone started laughing. Misty coughed and sputtered out water.

"Ash, you jackass…" She coughed and sputtered some more, Ash held out his hand, smiling,

"I know I am, sometimes I just can't help it." She grabbed his hand and he pulled her out of the pool, her dress clung to her body. "At least you were smart enough to wear a suit underneath."

"So?" Misty pulled off her wet dress; she was wearing a light blue bikini that perfectly showed off the curves of her body. Ash blinked and almost lost his composure, but he turned away in enough time to avoid staring. "Argh, great job Ash, now the only clothes I came with are soaking wet." Daisy took the dress from her sister,

"It's fine Misty, we can go to the roof garden and it can dry off there. We can have some time to cool off after what happened." Misty's eyebrows drew together,

"Roof garden?" Ash smiled at her and wrapped and arm around her waist,

"Yeah, we sorta put it together while you were gone, I think they were trying to make me feel better for what happened. C'mon, let's go show you." They walked to an elevator and to the rooftop garden, when the elevator doors opened; Misty saw a beauty that she had never seen before. The roof had luscious trees, green grass, and was awash in flowers.

"Wow!" Misty exclaimed, "This is beautiful!" Ash smiled and started to lead her away to a few willows that would hide them from everyone else.

"C'mon, let's go lie down and dry off." He said as he was leading her away. Brock, Daisy and her kids sat down at the tables to talk. Ash and Misty walked far out of earshot, with absolutely no one watching them, and Ash knew that Misty would need some time to cool down after seeing May. "Ya know Misty…you didn't have to take it so personal when May was here."

"Yes I did, that bitch deserved it!" Misty said, Ash wrapped his arms around his waist,

"I'm not denying that, just calm down alright, she got what she deserved thanks to you. She probably won't come back ever again."

"I won't settle for 'probably'. I'm not letting her get to you at all." Ash smiled sweetly at her and kissed her lips, silencing her before she could get out her next thought. When he broke away, he held her tightly, whispering in her ear,

"Nothing could take me away from you. You should know that, I belong to you." He kissed her again, cupping her head in his hands, "You know how much I love you. I don't care about May, or Gary, or anything. Hell, if it weren't your first few days' back, I'd ask someone to marry us right now. But I think we should take some time to get a bit closer." Misty agreed with him,

"I also think we should wait until we get to know each other again, I don't want to rush things."

"I haven't changed Misty, and neither have you. No matter what happened before, I'm still your Ash, and you're still my Misty. The only reason why I suggested that we get closer is because of what's going on with Gary, and May, and with your situation…I can't bear to think of what they put you through…I'd go out and kill them all if I knew where they were."

"It isn't as horrible as you think it is Ash. The only reason why I haven't said anything yet is because I know you. They could have just kept me there and you'd still try to kill them for keeping me from you." Ash sighed and rested his head on her shoulder,

"Heh…ya read my like a book…you're right, I want to kill them. I WILL find them, and they'll pay for what they did to you… right after Gary." He added at the end with a slight chuckle. Misty smiled,

"But that can wait…you've got your hands full with me now, and I think I'm going to take up most of your attention." Misty said as she smiled warmly at him, kissing his forehead, "Besides, I won't tell you what happened to me until AFTER you and Gary fight." Ash laughed softly,

"Yeah, that'll be sooner rather than later." He responded as he rolled over on his back, pulling Misty by his side, the willows blocked out the suns rays and protected them from the head,

"Ash?" Misty said quietly,

"Yes Misty."

"No matter what you think about what happened while I was captured, it wasn't the most extreme scenario that I know is in your head. I wasn't raped; they didn't even touch me in that way. They might have beaten me, and threatened rape, but they said they wouldn't unless they found a certain someone, which they never did. It was just empty threats…" She trailed off when she realized Ash was looking away, he replied when she stopped,

"Misty…please, I promise I'll get every one of them. I'll make them pay, that's for sure. But…I can't right now…there's so much going on with us and with me right now…I can't comprehend it all…I'm sorry…" Misty wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly,

"It's alright Ash, you don't even have to go out on some type of revenge spree for me, I want you to just stay by me. I want you to be honest with me as well, what was wrong this morning? I know you Ash; you're hiding something from me. What is it?" Ash couldn't answer back. As much as he wanted to tell her his dream, he couldn't bear to tell her about it.

"Misty I can't…not right now, you have to worry about yourself. I can't let you think about anything else except your own safety. It'll have to wait." Misty huffed quietly, showing her disapproval,

"But Ash-" He cut her off by giving her a gentle kiss,

"No Misty, that's final, I won't tell you until this is resolved. Now just forget about it, I'll be fine." He smiled, trying desperately to convince her, it worked finally,

"Alright..." Misty finally agreed, "But as soon as it's over, you're going to tell me ever SINGLE detail! Do you understand?" Ash smiled,

"Alright, I will." He gave her a kiss, then stood up, "Well, let's go see what Brock and Daisy are doing. Maybe we can spend the night, so you can visit more with your sisters." _'And so I can tell them why you need protection so badly'. _He thought to himself. Misty smiled and stood up,

"Okay, if you don't mind that is." Ash smiled and took her hand, leading her back to where Brock and Daisy were.

"Of course I don't, it's you we're talking about here. I never mind when you want to do something." He smiled warmly at her, she smiled back and giggled,

"Hehe, okay, if you say so." As they walked out of the trees, Misty caught eye of her other two sisters, she cried out happily and ran to them, throwing her arms around them and crying with happiness. Finally reunited with each other, they were inseparable the rest of the night as the group went down to eat dinner.

Ash knocked on the door to Daisy's room, hearing her husband, Dante's voice,

"Come in." Ash opened the door quietly, peeking his head in, Dante was sitting in his bed reading, Daisy was snuggled against him, fast asleep, and his kids were on his other side, also asleep.

"Mind if I come in, I need to talk to you…" Dante smiled and closed the book,

"Sure Ash, come on in." Ash opened the door fully and came in, "So, you think now that you're good enough to see us now that Misty is back, huh?" He said as Ash sat down, Ash chuckled slightly, scratching the back of his neck,

"Yeah, sorry about that…I was just so miserable…" Dante nodded his head,

"Understandable. So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Ash opened his mouth to say what it was, and then closed it, he drew his brows together and then scratches his head, deciding to take a difference approach, and he got on his knees and bowed to Dante,

"Please…Dante oh please, you have to help me protect Misty, everyone has to. I don't…I don't think I can do it all on my own…" He bowed his head low, pleading for Dante to help him. Dante blinked in shock, put his book down and asked Ash to get up,

"Ash…where did this come from? Why does Misty need protecting?" Ash told him everything that was going on; Dante blinked again and looked down, then back to Ash,

"Alright, alright. Just stop bowing to me. I'll talk to the girls and convince them to help; I might even have a few of my friends who would be willing to help you out for an autograph or two. But you have to stay by Misty until then okay?" Ash nodded his head and smiled, getting to his feet,

"Really? You'll help me?" Dante nodded and put his finger over his lips to tell Ash to hush as his daughter Yuki stirred slightly.

"Yes…just go to bed." Dante replied at a whisper. Ash nodded his head, getting the hint.

"Okay, thanks…" He left the room.

(A/N: okay here's the question, if I WERE to do a love scene between Ash and Misty, do you want it detailed or not detailed, I'm giving you a lot of power in this, please help me I've offended a few people I don't want to do it again, just say 'detailed' or 'not detailed' with your review, thanks!)


	9. Sealing their Love

(A/N: two in one day, it'll make up for the month I'm probably not going to post! Heh…you guys are great, thanks for everything, I hope to never let you down)

Ash opened the door to his and Misty's room, and was suddenly struck with a pillow to the head,

"Ack!" It was followed by a squeal from Misty,

"Ash you pervert! Haven't you heard of knocking? Get out!" The pillow fell to the ground and Ash looked dumbfounded, but when he came face to face with a topless Misty covering up her bare chest, he understood why he was hit with a pillow,

"Oh…" He stopped to stare, big mistake. Misty threw another pillow in his direction; he ducked and went for the door, "Ok! Ok! I'm going!" He slammed the door before he was hit with another pillow, Misty calling him a pervert on the way out. Ash tried to get the mental image out of his head, but it looked, nice, so it seemed to be burned into his brain. His face turned bright red. "Erm…I'm sorry for barging in on you like that Misty, at least without knocking." He heard Misty rustling for clothes, or to get out of them, he thought hopefully.

"Um, it's alright…" There was a silence, and then Misty called again, "You can come in now." Ash opened the door slowly this time, peeking into the room, seeing Misty dressed in a robe. She laid down on the bed, patting a spot next to her, "Sit." She seemed to order. Ash, without hesitation, or even thinking, walked right over and sat down on the bed. It finally registered him several moments after he sat down.

"Whoa…Gah! Hey, I'm not a dog! Don't train me like that!" Misty giggled and pulled him down beside her,

"I was just proving a point, you'd do anything for me, wouldn't you?" Ash nodded his head, it certainly was true, he loved Misty so much, and he'd do anything with her no matter what happened in the outcome. "Then make love to me." She said straightforwardly, Ash blinked and his eyes went wide in shock. His face turned crimson red,

"Wh-what?" Was what all he managed to get out of his mouth before turning his head away to hide his blush. Misty smiled,

"How cute, I've made you uncomfortable." She turned his head back towards hers and kissed him. "But don't play dumb with me Ash, I know you're old enough now to know about it, and you want me don't you?"

"But…but I…" Ash thought his brain process just shut off, he couldn't make any coherent words, and he had no clue what was going on. Where had this conversation sparked? Misty kissed him again, slipping her hands under his shirt and caressing his chest and stomach. It sent a tingling sensation throughout his body.

"Ash, I know it's only been a few days since I've been back, but believe me, I am just as ready now as I was before. What's wrong, do you not want me? She said, almost sounding helpless. She leaned toward him with her big pretty blue eyes. Ash couldn't back away. The way she touched him kept him right where he was, the way she spoke was just so incredibly intoxicating that it made him want to say and do things that he would be too shy to otherwise.

"Of course I want you Misty." He said without thinking, "There isn't anyone else I want." Misty smiled and started to pull off his shirt, Ash let her, and then only realized what was going on until he lifted his arms up over his head and she had pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it aside. He gasped and blushed, "M-Misty?" She caressed his bare chest; he immediately stopped protesting before he got started. He closed his eyes as she leaned forward and started kissing down his neck and on his collarbone. Each of her kisses sent pleasant burning sensations through his entire body. Misty caressed his stomach while kissing his chest, he didn't object in the least, and it brought a smile to her face. She slid her fingers slowly down to the rim of his pants and undid the button, then slowly undid the fly, planting kisses on his neck so he wouldn't notice. He didn't at all, at least until she pushed his pants all the way down and off. He gasped out loud, his face burning bright red, "Gah! Misty what are you doing?" Misty smiled and tossed his pants over a chair and out of reach.

"What's wrong Ash, are you shying up on me?" She started nibbling on his neck gently; she felt a pleasant shudder from him, then a shaky sigh escape his lips. He loved what was going on, even if he wouldn't out right admit it.

"Oh god…what have you done to me woman…" He said quietly, he seemed breathless, Misty giggled and kissed his lips,

"Nothing that you don't want done to you." She whispered seductively, kissing him passionately as she reached for his boxers, she put a hand on each side of them and started to pull them down. Finally Ash grabbed them, preventing her from pulling them down and showing things that didn't seem that decent to him.

"No Misty…we can't…" He whispered to her, he realized that he didn't sound to object full at all. Misty kissed him,

"Yes we can Ash, now let go so I can pull off your boxers." She went to pull them down, successfully pulling them down a bit more before Ash regained control of himself, stopping her again.

"Misty please…" He pleaded; he was losing badly with his self-control.

"Please what Ash? Stop? No, I don't want to stop, and you don't want me to, just admit it, you like it." Ash's hands started trembling, he was battling himself internally, he wanted her so bad, but was deathly afraid of doing something to hurt her. "Ash please, we're both ready for this, you're scared aren't you?" Ash looked into Misty's eyes,

"……" He didn't reply, Misty leaned forward and kissed Ash passionately,

"Ash…" She started, "Do you love me?" Ash nodded his head, "Don't you want to consummate that love? I can give you strength for anything. And I…I…I want you Ash." She blushed slightly, "I don't care how scared I will be, you will be gentle with me, and keep me from being scared, right?" Ash nodded his head, and as he did, he relaxed his grip from his boxers, allowing her to pull them down and toss them out of his reach. Ash was now naked, it all seemed like a blur to him, how had she taken control of him so completely?He covered up his naked appendage and blushing bright red. Misty smiled at him, "Ash don't be like this, why are you so afraid?" He looked down, his hair covering his eyes. Misty hooked the stray strands of hair behind his ears, cupping his face in her hands and looking him in the eyes, "Sweetie…I know you're nervous, but so am I. See for yourself." She took one of his hands and opened her robe slightly, Ash's eyes widened when he realized she was naked underneath. Misty pressed his hand to her chest, over her heart. Her heart was racing, just like his. She touched his chest with her free hand, feeling his heartbeat, smiling to him. "See? My heart is beating just as fast, and I'm just as nervous and scared. But I do know one thing for certain. I love you, Ash Ketchum, I've loved you since we first met each other, and I'd never even offer if I weren't willing to take that next step. You're my fiancé, my lover, and soon to be husband, right?" Ash nodded his head, his blush fading slightly. Misty smiled at him, kissing him passionately, "Alright then, prove it."

"Misty…" Ash started, Misty cut him off by kissing him again and grabbing his arms, roller on her back and pulling him on top of her,

"I'm serious Ash, prove it to me. Let's seal our love tonight." She whispered to him. Ash finally lost his will to fight her. He kissed her back passionately,

"Misty…what have you done to me?" He whispered quietly, "How…how did you get such control over me?" He asked her as he reached up to the knot on her robe with trembling hands, undoing the knot and opening up her robe, taking a good long look at her nakedness underneath. Misty let out a deep blush,

"Ash, you don't have to stare so hard!" She chuckled. He did as well.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. You're just so beautiful…you're perfect to me, and I get to stare all I want, and do what I've always dreamed of."

"Oh so after all that teasing you only NOW decide to give in?" She smiled up at him and pulled him to her, kissing him passionately, he kissed back.

"Are you sure you want this? I don't want to-" Misty cut him off before he got any farther,

"Ash just shut up, before you even get started. I want it, and you do too, let's not deny us something like this." Ash sighed and finally gave in fully,

"Alright…well…tell me if I hurt you, alright?" Misty hugged him tightly.

"Okay, I will, but for now, just go." Ash nodded his head after he consent and began the best night of both of their lives, their bond strengthening considerably and becoming inseparable. Ash, for the first time in a while, had wonderful dreams, filled with thoughts of Misty, his only love. With her next to him, he slept pleasantly all through the night. He felt so good, and he couldn't get her out of his mind, it took his mind off of the nightmares that he had been having, and he knew that he was the happiest man in the world.

(A/N: please read and review, I'd really appreciate it, thank you.)


	10. After the Wonderful Night

(A/N: hey there everyone! Sorry it took so long, but I'm going through a funk, dunno what else to do. Bleh, it sux. But anyway, have a nice time with this chapter! It's short, but hopefully it'll tide you over until I get off of my writer's block.)

Misty groaned softly and yawned quietly, starting to stir out of her heavenly sleep. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and set her gaze on Ash's sleeping form. He had his arms loosely wrapped around her bare waist and he slept peacefully. His hair covered his eyes, and there was a slight smile on his face. Misty smiled brightly; she could hardly believe what had happened between them yesterday. She knew that he couldn't believe it either. She hooked his hair behind his ears and kissed him gently on his lips, trying to be sure that he didn't wake him up. He groaned slightly and snuggled close to Misty. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head in his hair.

"Sweetheart, I love you so much." Misty mumbled to him, Ash mumbled back,

"Love you too…." He kissed her neck, yawning slightly. Misty hugged him tightly, Ash groaned again, starting to become more active. He moved to get comfortable, waking up and yawning, burying his head into her shoulder, "Uhn…Misty?" Misty squeezed him tightly, kissing the top of his head,

"Yes Ash?"

"Did I hurt you?" Misty smiled and kissed the top of his head again.

"Of course not, and I know you didn't mean it. I mean it hurt at first, but that all soon changed. You shouldn't have been so scared."

"I couldn't help it Misty, I love you with all my heart, I wouldn't be able to bear it if I hurt you." Ash rubbed his eyes and finally took his head from her shoulder, looking up into her eyes. "I don't want to hurt my future wife." He smiled at her, she kissed him, and he kissed her back,

"I know, but I wasn't hurt, so you don't have to worry about it, alright?" Ash nodded his head, yawning again. Misty stretched her arms over her head and yawned as well.

"Should we get up?" Ash asked her, Misty smiled, shaking her head.

"Why? I want to enjoy this moment for as long as I possibly can, don't ruin it for us." Ash smiled at her,

"Okay, honey. We can stay here as long as we want to, besides…" He snuggled close to her, "You're so warm." Misty chuckled, snuggling tightly against him.

"Yeah, so you've told me." She sight happily, Ash rolled over on his back and pulled her on top of him, "Eek!" She gasped as he pulled her on top of him; she looked down at him, blushing. He stroked her face gently and leaned up, kissing her.

"Misty…my god you're so beautiful. I never thought I would see you ever again. I've never felt so lonely in all of my life. You are the most important woman in my life. I'd give up everything just for you." Misty blushed,

"You don't have to give up anything, just stay with me and that'll make me happy." She kissed him and he kissed her back. "I didn't think you could speak so seriously Ash, that really surprised me." Ash grinned at her,

"Well, me either, but after last night, I've changed about a lot of things." Misty looked at him funny,

"Changed things? Like what?" Ash smiled and kissed her nose,

"About what I could do to keep you safe. And that if you say you're alright, I shouldn't be as protective of you… You've proven that to me more times over these past few days than ever before." Misty smiled at him,

"But Ash, I want you to be protective of me, then I can show you how much I 'appreciate' it." She giggled, Ash smiled and kissed her forehead, holding her tightly against him and yawning.

"Misty, last night was great…" He started, "It's something I'd love to repeat. Although your sisters won't appreciate it if we leave a mess." Misty laughed.

"Ash, you pervert!"

"Only around you honey." He stretched and yawned again, the yawn became contagious, and Misty yawned as well. Misty got off of him and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She smiled and ruffled Ash's hair. "Agh! Hey!" Ash grabbed her hand and tackled her on her back, starting to tickle her. She laughed hard and tried to push him away, her arms going weak and she tried her best to crawl away from him. He kept her in place and kept tickling her until she was out of breath. She growled playfully and punched him lightly in the gut, then leaned up and kissed him passionately. He kissed her back and rolled on top of her, gently pinning her hands to the bed. Misty blinked, kissing him again and breaking away,

"Wha…again?" She breathed out as he started to kiss her down her neck,

"I can't help it." He replied between kissing her, "Ya drive me insane." Misty smiled,

"Well, we gotta keep it down, don't want anyone hearing."

"Gotcha." He whispered, kissing her again, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door,

"Misty, are you awake?" Misty groaned quietly and tried to get up, but Ash kept her down, kissing her neck, she struggled slightly.

"Uh…yeah, I'm awake." She said to one of her sisters beyond the door, they all sounded alike, so she couldn't figure out which one of her sisters it was. Ash grinned, licking her neck and starting to kiss lower and lower, running his hand in between her legs. She gasped and held down a moan, the person on the door didn't hear,

"Well, do you know where Ash around? I heard he wanted to talk to all of us." Misty finally managed to push Ash away,

"Yeah, he's in here sleeping, he probably won't be up until a while later."

"Alright then, I'll be around." The person left, Ash rolled onto his stomach and looked at her, pouting.

"Awwww…Misty you're not fun." Ash said as he rested his head into his hands. Misty turned on her side and squeezed him with one hand.

"Do you really want people to hear us doing this? You know how loud I can get." She giggled, Ash smiled and nuzzled his head into her neck,

"I know, so we should save it for another time, just so it can be special to us, maybe we can hold off until our wedding night or something." He yawned, "For now, let's just skip breakfast and take a nap."

"Fine by me." She kissed his head; he turned over and opened up his arms for her. She smiled happily and crawled into his arms; he closed his arm tightly around her and kissed her, "Goodnight …err…good morning." She giggled and kissed him back,

"Morning, sweet dreams." Soon both of them fell asleep in each other's arms.

(A/N: Please read and review)


	11. Ashura

(A/N: Hey guys, a new chapter! This is really long. I hope everyone likes it. Well, please read and review, this is Kaoru, signing off!)

When Misty came down for lunch, she was met with two pairs of eyes and smiles,

"Wh…what are the two of you looking at?" She asked to Brock and Daisy, Brock grinned and nudge Daisy,

"Lookit that, Ash isn't with her, she must've worn him out!" Brock mock whispered, Misty flushed bright red with embarrassment.

"What?" Daisy laughed and snickered,

"Awwww…look! My little sister's blushing!" They both started laughing and Misty flushed even harder as Dante came into the room,

"Now, now." He scolded the two of them, "Leave Misty alone, you know how good it felt about YOUR first time Daisy." It was Daisy's turn to blush,

"How did you all find out about this?" She asked, Brock smiled at her,

"Misty, I'm your best friend and I've known Ash forever, if you hadn't done it by now, I would have gotten worried." He patted the spot next to him and pulled out a chair, "C'mon and sit down Misty, let's talk." She sat down and looked to them,

"So you guys are gonna start interrogating me now? I'm not saying a damn thing." Daisy laughed,

"Who said we were doing an interrogation? We were just gonna ask you how you felt, now that Ash has given you literally everything that he has." Brock put a cup of coffee in front of her as she started to relive the moment in her head. She couldn't really believe what had happened between the two of them. It was something so beautiful that she really didn't know how to explain it. After she started to picture the night in her head, she blushed madly. Brock and Daisy laughed,

"Oh jeez, we say one word and she turns red!" Brock said while laughing.

"It must've been something!"

"Of course it was, it was her first time, it had to be something." Dante replied, with that Misty turned a whole new shade of red,

"Guys shut up! My sex life is not on display here! You guys should know how I feel."

"Of course we do." Daisy replied as she ruffled Misty's hair, "We're just trying to make it as good as we all had it, if you take it too seriously you'll lose all of the great feeling." Misty thought about what she had said and realized that she was right for the most part.

"Fine, fine, joke all you want. Since you already know what happened between us."

"Don't mind them Misty, you know idiots like to travel in pairs." Dante said as he stood up, chuckling.

"HEY!" Brock and Daisy said in unison, Misty laughed. They all stopped when Ash came into the room, yawning, he was only in his boxers, he looked so tired,

"Good morning Ash." Brock said, "Have a good night with Misty?" Daisy and Brock laughed, even Dante chuckled,

"Uh huh…" He said sleepily, walking over to Misty and hugging her, Misty blushed even more.

"Ash, ya weren't supposed to admit that…" Ash nuzzled his head into her shoulder,

"I dun care…" He replied, Brock pulled up a chair next to Misty and Ash plopped into the chair.

"Well guys." Dante started, "What's on the agenda today?" Ash started to wake up a bit more, he turned to Misty,

"Hey…honey, I was thinking…I want to get you made up for the tournament, go ahead and take a shower so we can get going okay?" Misty nodded her head and got up, she left the room without thinking about anything. Ash turned to them, suddenly looking serious. He told Daisy and Dante what was going on with Gary, and immediately they looked angry. Ash told them his plan, and they both agreed wholeheartedly.

"We'll help, if Gary's trying to get after Misty, we'll do anything to stop him." Daisy said, Dante and Brock both agreed,

"I can't convince some of the gym leaders." Ash said at first, "But anyone else…they may like you all better."

"No problem, I got some friends on the force, they can protect her." Dante replied,

"Brock and I can convince those who are unwilling." Daisy replied afterward,

"Good, she will be with me most of the time, but I want to know if Gary…" Brock interrupted,

"Or May." Ash rolled his eyes,

"Yes, or May. I want to know if they even so much as sneeze. I want Misty to outshine everyone, no offense to her beautiful sisters." He smiled to Daisy, and then continued, "But I want Gary to make a mistake, so we can take his ass down for good."

"Agreed." Brock agreed, "Let's do this."

Gary sat in his chair, looking out the window at the sun rising. Soon…very soon, Misty would be his, and Ash would be history.

"Sir!" Someone said from behind her, he spun his chair around and came face to face with two black clothed people with red 'R's stamped on their chests.

"What is it?" Gary replied, irritated,

"We brought the two traitors, and your sister has returned." Gary smiled, nodding his head.

"Take those traitorous bastards down to the dungeon, and bring May in here." The two Rocket members clapped a closed fist over their hearts, leaving the room. Soon May came in, smiling.

"My lord, you look wonderful this day." Gary smiled and pulled her onto his lap,

"May stop that, I know I will soon rule the world, but that still means you'll be my big sister, and you'll just address me as such." May giggled,

"Oh I know brother, this is just wonderful, you're living out the plan that father always thought of you. Soon I'll have Ash to myself, and you'll get that woman, although I think she doesn't deserve you."

"You'll see, May, once she's in my bed, you'll have Ash all to yourself with no interference, and we'll both be happy. The sooner the better." May started to look a bit worried,

"But Gary… What…what about… 'Ashura'? You know how much father worried about him before he died…" Gary scoffed, blowing off his sister's worry,

"Ashura is just as harmless as his son. Father was just a paranoid old man."

"But I've seen his work, he put our father on his deathbed! He's a big threat."

"Hush my sister, Ashura cannot touch us, some of my people are taking care of him, and while he's away, let's torture his family." May turned back to her bubbly self and giggled again,

"Oh yes, let's. He won't be able to do anything about it!" Gary nodded his head, making her get up,

"Go give the order, I need some time to think." May smiled and bowed, leaving the room. Gary stood up, looking out the window,

"Ashura…so you've finally decided to resurface after all this time, I'm going to kill you…and your son, for vengeance against my father…" Gary turned and decided to go see how the two traitors were doing.

When Gary entered the room, he heard the crack of a whip, followed by a scream of a woman and then a male's voice echoed through the halls,

"Stop it! Let her go!" Gary walked into the room and came face to face with the two traitors, Jessie and James.

"Well, you didn't expect to be back here did you?" James glared at Gary,

"So, you've been running all of this!" Gary's smile widened,

"Yes, do you like it? It's such an improvement from my father's reign." Gary walked over to Jessie, who was chained up to a wall, bleeding from many wounds from a whip. He grabbed her face,

"Hm…you know Jessie, you are quite beautiful, it's a shame that you're pairing up with trash like him." Gary said, motioning to James, Jessie looked to Gary, then spit in his face

"Go to hell…bastard…" She mumbled, Gary looked certainly displeased; he wiped the spit from his face and slapped Jessie,

"Bitch…" He snapped his fingers and one of the people whipped Jessie, being rewarded with a scream of pain. James stood up.

"Stop it!" He tried to run into Gary, but one of the guards close lined him, making him fall on his back, coughing. Gary laughed,

"You two always were something, pretending to go after Ash again and again, but you were protecting him this whole time. You traitors killed my father!" James managed to get back up, despite his muscles crying out in pain, he said nothing. "Who put you up to this? Why give up fame and fortune to help some boy and his friend?" Jessie spoke up first,

"That 'boy' is more nobler in every sense of the word than you are! We wanted to be free of this so we walked out ourselves! Ash is now our friend, we'd never betray him to you!"

"Wrong answer!" Gary replied, punching Jessie in the stomach, James got up, but one of Gary's guards punched James back down and stepped on his back to keep him down. "If you do not tell me who sent you out and sent you back, I'll violate you right here, in front of your loving fiancé. Don't you think he'd like that?" Jessie squirmed; James couldn't stand it anymore,

"ENOUGH!" James yelled, his nose all bloodied from the fall he had just taken,

"James don't say anything…" Jessie pleaded, but James wasn't listening.

"She was right, we cared for Ash and his friends and that's why we left, but Ashura was the one who gave us the job of guarding them, and coming back."

"Ashura!" Gary flared; Ash's father was becoming a bigger menace than Ash was,

"Yes, and he gave me this message: 'I'm back, and you're going to pay for what you've tried to do to my son.'" Gary smiled,

"That's what he thinks." He turned to his guard, "Take her down, and let them have their last moment of togetherness." Gary turned to James, grinning evilly, "You will know of true hell before I kill you both." The guard unchained Jessie and she fell to the ground. Gary left with the guard, slamming the door. James crawled over to Jessie, cradling her in his arms and leaning against the wall. She coughed, blood trickled out of her mouth.

"James…" She coughed, "Why did you tell him?" James hushed her,

"If we would have told him or not, it was destined to happen, Ashura said he would come for us."

"What if he doesn't…?"

"You doubt him like that? He always helped us out. We might not know him personally, but if he's anything like his son…" He trailed off, leaving the rest open for whatever kind of conclusion.

"James…" She said quietly.

"I told you to hush, save your strength. I'll think of a way to get us out of this mess. Sleep…and no arguing." Jessie was about to object, but stopped,

"Alright…wake me if something happens." James agreed, and she quietly fell asleep. James held her tightly, his face growing angry,

"That bastard…he won't touch you, or dream of touching you. Once we get out of here, we'll all make him pay..." James said to her sleeping form. He kissed the top of her head, and then decided to take a short nap before trying to escape. He quickly fell to sleep.


	12. Couldn't get much worse

(A/N: hey guys, look, chapter 12, like you asked for, but I don't' really have much on chapter 13 so this is going to last you a while, okay peace!)

Misty looked at herself in the mirror, blushing slightly. She was wearing the most beautiful blue dress; Ash had picked it out for her and gave her no room for negotiation. She had to try it on to see if she looked nice in it. It was strapless, and shimmered in the light. She blushed more, she had never worn anything so beautiful, and by the price tag, she didn't think she ever would.

"Misty, come on out and let us see!" Daisy called from the waiting room outside her door,

"I don't know…" Misty started,

"Misty…" Brock started, "Ash went away to look for a suit from the other side of the store, come on out and show us what you look like." Misty gulped and then hesitantly came out of the dressing room, both Brock and Daisy smiled,

"Wow…that's so beautiful!" Daisy replied, Misty blushed more,

"I don't…I really don't like Ash spending all this money on me..."

"He has to, you've been gone for so long, and everyone knows how big a part of him you were. He wants to shove in everyone's face that thought that you weren't coming back. He wants to show off that you're still the most beautiful person in the world." Brock replied, Misty's blush deepened.

"Everyone said that when you left, that you just broke up with him and moved on. He wants to show those who doubted the two of you that nothing has come in between you." Daisy replied. Misty didn't really buy it, but she nodded her head anyway. Soon Ash came back and Misty didn't have enough time to hide. Ash stared at her, and Misty felt really embarrassed.

"W…wow…" Ash started, blinking in shock, "You look perfect." Ash said, Misty blushed and went back to the dressing room to change before she got too embarrassed.

"Hey Ash." Brock said as he turned to Ash, "Did you find what you were looking for?" Ash smiled his head and nodded,

"Sure did, and a bit more. Once we buy Misty's dress we're going to find a necklace to go with it."

"Ash!" Misty interjected, "You told me that the dress was the only thing you were going to buy!"

"You must've heard me wrong, I said nothing of the sort. Nothing you do can stop me either. You got that?" Misty grumbled as she came out of the dressing room, carrying the dress in her hand. He plucked the dress from her hands. "I'll take that." He walked off to pay for it, Misty looked to Brock and Daisy, and they were too busy laughing.

"I still don't like this." She said as she followed behind Ash,

"Well, what you don't like doesn't matter to him, now does it?" Daisy asked,

"Nope!" Brock answered for her, they all left the store, Ash determined to make Misty outshine the stars…

Ash, Misty and Brock entered Ash's house, as soon as Ash stepped in he knew something was wrong. The house was turned inside out; things were broken, ripped and trashed. Ash felt his face drained of color and his mouth went dry. He dropped his bags to the floor,

"M…mom?" He whispered, his heart hammering, "MOM!" He yelled as he ran up the stairs, screaming out fro his mother. Misty and Brock quickly searched the downstairs. Ash jumped down the stairs as Misty screamed his name,

"ASH!" Ash followed Misty's voice to the kitchen and he gasped out loud as he saw all the blood on the walls. Misty and Brock were there, Misty cradling Ash's mother in her arms. She was the source of all the blood on the walls and on the floor. On the wall, written in her blood was a message, not to him, but to 'Ashura'. Ash felt tears overflowing in his eyes. He rushed over to his mother and knelt down besides her, taking her from Misty.

"Mom…mom come on wake up!" He cradles her into his arms gently. Mom…MOM!" He screamed to her, but she didn't wake up. Brock stood up quickly,

"I'm going to go call the ambulance!" He yelled as he left the room. Ash held onto his mother tightly, continuing to call to his mother. Tears rushing down his face. Misty looked behind the table and gasped. She quickly crawled behind the table and came out holding Pikachu in her arms, also covered in blood. The Pokemon was barely breathing,

"Oh no…" She whispered. The ambulance was soon there, carting off Mrs. K. Ash turned to Misty, who was holding his wounded Pikachu.

"No…" He grabbed Pikachu and held onto him tightly. "Pikachu…wake up…wake up!" Pikachu's eyes started to open, then he let loose his power. Ash kept his hold on it, sinking to his knees and yelling. He didn't stop holding onto Pikachu. "Pikachu…it's alright, we'll get you help…whoever did this is gone…you saved mom." Pikachu's electricity dissipated, Ash and Misty hurriedly left, wanting to get the both of them quick help.

(A/N: please read and review, much appreciated)


	13. Whoa that's his dad!

(A/N: Sorry everyone! I've been really busy! I won't go on with what happened, but everyone's been wondering where ch 13 is so here it is! Special thanks to Hakki for her e-mail, it really gave me the nerve to keep going! Sorry for making it really late! I'm a procrastinator! Enjoy!)

Ash sat on a chair by his mother's bed, cradling Pikachu I his arms. Both had been wounded very badly, but he was reassured that they were both going to survive. Ash had steady tears rolling down his face, how could he have not been there? He could have protected his mother, and Pikachu wouldn't have to exert all of his energy and be wounded. It was all his fault. The door opened to the room and Misty walked in, she closed the door quietly behind her and Ash didn't even acknowledge that she was there. She walked over and stood beside him.

"Ash…" She whispered, "Are…are you feeling alright?" Ash looked down to the ground as he heard her speak,

"How can you say that? My mother was just attacked, Pikachu nearly died to protect her, all while I was out having fun…how can I be 'alright'?"

"Ash none of this is your fault."

"Not my fault!" Ash snapped at her, "Not my fault!" He stood up and looked to her, his eyes burning with misdirected hatred. "Of course it is my fault! While I was out with you this happened! She could have been protected! But no! I was too blinded by you to reason that something could happen to her!" Misty looked absolutely hurt, she looked into his eyes, her eyes starting to water, but then she looked away.

"Well, Ash…I'm sorry you feel that way…I'll…I'll leave you alone now…" She said as she turned to leave, Ash suddenly realized what he had said, but it was a bit too late.

"Misty…I'm sorry…" Misty didn't look at him,

"I'm going to go to my sisters' house, if you still think you love me, then later on after you think some you can come and get me. If I really am the problem, then leave me there and I'll know your answer." She left the room, before tears could accumulate and she would beg Ash for forgiveness. Ash sank down to his knees once she had left the room.

"What…what have I done…" He asked himself as he felt the tears rushing out of his eyes much faster than before. He blamed Misty for something that no one could control. He felt a quiet sob escape his lips, he was so pitiful, and he blamed the only woman that he had feelings for just because he was upset. Brock opened the door slowly and came into the room,

"Ash, what the hell happened in here? Misty ran out crying I couldn't even get her to tell me anything." Ash sniffed back tears,

"I…I blamed her for something that none of us could control…I'm such an ass." Brock shook his head and sighed heavily.

"I'm sure she understands, at least I hope she does. Tensions are running high between us all, all you have to do is apologize and set these things straight."

"I shouldn't have said anything…" Ash replied, Brock sighed and pulled Ash up to his feet,

"It's about that dream isn't it?" Brock asked, Ash, gasped,

"How…how did you…" Brock interrupted him before he could finish.

"I know now, thanks to your outburst." Ash looked down, flushing red with embarrassment. "Tell me about it, now that I know something's going on, and I know is has something to do with Misty and Gary."

"I can't tell you." Ash replied, shaking his head, "I'm going crazy…if I tell you, you'll never think of me the same way again."

"If you won't tell me, then at least tell Misty, let her know, she's probably the only one who can comfort you properly and put your mind at ease."

"She doesn't want to see me anymore…"

"That's what you think, how about you try this. After your mom gets better, you go talk to her." Ash wiped his eyes.

"…Okay…" Ash replied, Brock patted him on the shoulder.

"I'll call her now, I'm sure her feelings haven't changed."

"Thank you…" Ash replied as he stood up, sighing heavily with Pikachu still in his arms,

"The doctor said your mother will recover perfectly, she just needs some rest." Brock, replied, Ash nodded.

"I feel…so bad for Misty…I nearly turned her away from me…damn…some boyfriend I am." Brock walked to the door,

"I'll talk to here, you just stay here with your mom." Brock left the room; Ash slumped back into the chair, looking at his mother.

"Mom…I'm sorry, I should have protected you…but Misty wasn't the one to blame…" After a while, the door started to open, Ash turned, thinking that it was Brock, but he gasped with what he saw. It was another man, but with the same eyes, same build, and the same messy hair as his own. It was someone he hadn't seen since he was a young child. His father, Ashura Ketchum, Ash looked him directly in the eyes, and noticed that his father's eyes were filling with tears.

"Ash…" Ashura started to say, and then he dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the floor. "Ash, I'm so sorry! After all of these years I know you probably hate me now. But you have to understand I had to leave you as a baby for this exact reason! I couldn't let them know that you were my son; I knew you wouldn't understand as a kid but I had to protect you and your mother. I had to leave to protect the both of you until you were old enough. I had to disappear, I'm so sorry. I should have tried to keep in contact with you, but if they ever found out…" Ashura trailed off. Ash knelt down next to his long lost father,

"Just…answer me this okay? Are you going to leave now that I'm grown up…and it's apparent that they know we're family?"

"I'll never leave! They do know, and I have to stay to protect your mother!" Ash nodded his head,

"Good…now look at me, and tell me who did this to mom…" Ash replied, Ashura could hear the venom in his son's voice. Ashura looked up and saw the hatred in Ash's eyes.

"Ash…it was Team Rocket, they wanted to hurt the two of you to get back at me…but not anymore, we're going to work as a team to take them down."

"We better…not to mention you have a lot of explaining to do…"

"Okay…" Ashura replied and he would have said more but then Mrs. K groaned from the bed, both of them jumped up and rushed over as she awoke.

"Mom…mom are you okay?" Ash asked as she opened her eyes slightly, they fixed on Ash only for a moment then shifted over to Ashura. She looked downright shocked.

"A…Ashura?" She asked, looking very shocked, Ashura felt more tears in his eyes,

"Sasha…I'm here now, those bastards won't hurt you ever again!" He took Sasha into his arms and hugged her tightly, she immediately began crying and Ash decided that it was best to leave them alone, as happy as he was about his family being reunited. He left the room with Pikachu and closed the door behind him. Brock was standing in the hall, seeing the man, and the resemblance to Ash. But he couldn't help asking.

"Who…who was that?" Ash looked to Brock and a small smile broke out on his face,

"That…was my father." Ash replied, Brock looked even more shocked than before.

"Really? How did he find you?"

"I…I don't know, but he's back…at least that's what he promised." He looked down, "The only person who is missing now is Misty…"

"Well, let's wait until we go home, then you can call her alright?"

"Okay…thank you, Brock." Soon after, everything checked out with Mrs. K, she was discharged and they all left back home.

Misty sat down on her bed in her old room back in Cerulean City. She was trying very hard not to burst out into tears at what she had done several hours later. It took her a lot of guts to leave Ash behind at the hospital with his mother and Pikachu in such pain, but she had to make sure that she wasn't treated like that because it wasn't the normal Ash. She sighed, if only she would have listened and waited for him to calm down. Soon there was a knock at the door, followed by Daisy's voice.

"Misty? Would you like something to eat? You shouldn't just stay in there by yourself all day." Misty put her head in her knees,

"No thanks I want to stay here…I'm not hungry."

"Misty you've GOT to eat something." Misty didn't respond this time to her sister, and it seemed like Daisy left.

"Ash…you jerk…" She whispered to herself, but as soon as it escaped her lips, she regretted it. After a while of sitting in silence, she heard the phone rang, but ignored it. Soon one of her sister's yelled up to her.

"Misty it's for you!" Misty sighed and reached over, picking up the receiver and speaking into it,

"Hello?" She said, but she suddenly stopped any other words when someone else spoke,

"Misty…it's me, don't hang up on me just yet, let me explain first, please." It was Ash, and of course now Misty couldn't talk or hang up even if she wanted to. "Misty I was such a jerk to you, I shouldn't have yelled at you at all. I mean, you were just trying to comfort me and then I just lashed out at you. How could I have done such a stupid and mean thing to you?" Misty finally tried her hand at talking.

"Ash…I'm sorry…" Ash seemed shock, trying to form his words,

"Wh…why? Honey you have nothing to be sorry for. Just when I saw my mother like that, I just…snapped. You know how protective I get, and then I yelled at you for no reason. After all, you're the only one that's keeping me from going insane..."

"What do you mean?" Misty questioned, maybe she'll finally get the answer to what she had been thinking and being suspicious about all this time. She wiped the tears that fell down her face,

"I'll tell you somewhere in private later, now, come downstairs so we can go."

"Downstairs?" Ash chuckled,

"Yeah, I'm standing at the front door, waiting for you to come down, and these roses sure are getting heavy." Misty immediately put the phone back on the hook and ran downstairs. She still had on her pj's, but she didn't care. She went to the front door, unlocked it and threw it open. Ash was on the other side, smiling warmly at her. He had a big bouquet of roses in his hand. "Hey Misty, can you forgive me for being a jerk?" Misty looked at him then jumped up into his arms, hugging him tightly. He stumbled backward and dropped the roses, wrapping his arms around her so she wouldn't fall. "Ack! Misty hey calm down, we've only been away from each other for a few hours!" Misty wrapped her legs around his waist and hugged him tightly.

"I don't care…you're such a jerk, and I nearly lost you…" She felt tears in her eyes, she nuzzled her head into his shoulder, and Ash held her securely and stroked her head.

"Awwww, Misty…I know I didn't mean to be mean to you…I'm just sorry that I didn't try to get you back sooner." Misty tried to wipe her eyes, but Ash beat her to it. "Stop it, honey…I'll do all the comforting, that's what I'm supposed to do." He kissed her head, "Let's go to my house now, I have someone that you should meet." He didn't let her go inside to change; he didn't even let her down. He just leaned down and picked up her roses, "Let's go." Misty held onto him as Ash kicked the front door closed with his foot and carried her to the car,

"Who are we going to go see?" Misty asked as Ash set her into the passenger's seat.

"You'll see." He replied simply as he smiled at her and slid into the driver's seat. He leaned over and kissed her passionately. She blinked in shock and kissed him back. "Misty it's good to have you back. I'll keep you by my side at all times okay?"

"Okay…but as soon as we get home you're going to have to tell me what's bothering you."

"I will when I get the chance to, I won't back out on my promise." He said with a nod as he started the car and drove off back home.

Ash and Misty snuck into his house,

"Misty, go up to my room and change into something nice okay? I'll go distract them."

"Okay." Misty replied as she snuck up the stairs, Ash walked into the kitchen, where Brock and Ashura were cleaning up.

"I'm back…" Ash started, "How's mom doing?" He asked as Ashura flipped the table over to right it.

"She fine, she's resting right now. So where did you sneak off to?" Ash walked further into the kitchen and picked up a chair, putting it in it's right spot under the table.

"I just needed to pick something up." Ash replied, winking at Brock, who nodded in understanding.

"Ash I put Pikachu in your room, you should go check on him later." Brock said as he finished cleaning the blood off the walls.

"I will, thank you." Ashura then noticed someone on the threshold of the kitchen. She had fiery red hair flowing down her back; she was wearing a light blue tank top and a skirt. She was holding Pikachu in her arms. The look on her face told Ashura that she was quite shocked that the person in front of her looked exactly like Ash. Ash looked back to her, then to Ashura,

"Dad, I want you to meet someone very special to me, this is my fiancé, Misty." Ash said to his father as he motioned Misty into the kitchen, "Misty, this is my father, Ashura. Although I'm sure you know that, we look so much alike." Misty looked up at Ash, then looked shyly to Ashura,

"He…hello sir, it's very nice to meet you." She said as she smiled and bowed her head slightly. Ashura smiled and walked to Misty, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Misty, I see my son did a fabulous job of finding a girl." Misty blushed madly, and Ash did as well.

"Aw c'mon dad…quit embarrassing me." Ash said as she scratched his head. Ashura smiled,

"Well aren't the two of you modest." Ashura replied as he chuckled, "I'm glad to meet you Misty, please treat my son right."

"I…I will sir. Thank you."

"Please just call me Ashura." Misty nodded her head, Ashura started for the door, "Well I better check on your mother, be good you three." He said as he ruffled Ash's hair, Misty watched as Ashura left.

"W…wow…" Misty said, Brock smiled,

"Just like twins right?" Misty nodded her head and Ash scratched his,

"Um, yeah, I don't really see it, but whatever." Ash replied as he took Pikachu into his arms and looked at the both of them, "Thanks, guys, I might have lost it if it wasn't for the both of you here with me." Brock smiled and patted Ash on the back,

"No problem! What are friends for right?" Ash nodded his head, but still totally appreciating the help from them. Pikachu started to stir a little, and Ash looked down at him,

"Hey, little buddy, are you feeling better?" Pikachu opened his eyes only more slightly, he looked in pain, and Ash's heart sank. Pikachu nodded his head and let out a little noise. Ash was about to speak, but Misty beat him to it,

"Pikachu, I'm sorry." Both Brock and Ash looked at her, she gently took Pikachu out of Ash's arms, cradling him in hers.

"This all started because of me coming back here, Pikachu. You wouldn't have gotten hurt if it wasn't for me. You were so brave, protecting Ash's mom like that. But I couldn't help protect you. I'm sorry…" Pikachu looked up to her, and then nuzzled his head into her shoulder, making a small squeak. Misty smiled; taking that as her apology that had been accepted. Ash put his hands on Misty's shoulders.

"Misty it's not your fault, we'll find out who's been doing this." Brock agreed, smiling,

"Yeah, Ash will kill them for you." Soon they heard Ashura's voice as he walked back into the kitchen.

"But you're going to need some help." Ashura looked between the three of them, "Do you know who kidnapped her in the first place?"

"Well…no…" Ash admitted, "But we were planning on finding out at the competition."

"Leave that to me. Ash, your mom wants to talk to you, Brock you go as well." He turned to Misty, "I need to talk to you." Misty looked slightly confused; she gave Pikachu to Ash and the two men left. "Misty, sit down." Ashura commanded as he glared at her, Misty looked slightly frightened; she sat down and looked down to the ground. Ashura stood over her, "What are you to my son, Misty?" There was menace in his voice; Misty kept her eyes averted,

"I don't know what you're—" She started to say, but Ashura cut her off,

"Misty I know you and him are in love, but what has been going on with the two of you? How long have you known him?"

"We…we're in love we're going to get married if that's what you mean. I've known Ash since we were about 10 years old."

"Who does Ash hate the most?"

"Wha?—" She started to ask, but Ashura slammed his hand on the table,

"I said WHO does Ash HATE the most!" Misty quivered when he slammed his hand down on the table,

"I…I don't know, it's probably Gary, they've hated each other even before we met! What is this all about?" Ashura quickly turned the chair she was in so she would face him, and then he held her arms and made her stay in place,

"Has Gary ever said anything to you before? Anything suspicious in the past years?" Misty squirmed in his grip,

"He's flirted with me really bad! Ash had saved me from his harassment. Stop! You're hurting me!"

"I still have some questions for you!" Ashura said, but then he suddenly let go when he heard Ash's voice,

"Dad? What are you doing?" Ashura quickly let go of Misty and stepped away from her,

"Err…I was just asking her a few questions, No big deal. Anyway, I should go help your mother some more." He left the room. Ash rushed in and knelt down next to Misty.

"Hey, are you alright?" Misty looked down and avoided his eyes, "Misty?" He put his hand on her shoulder, she flinched and hugged herself tightly, "Hey…it's alright." He said soothingly as he leaned over and hugged her tightly, she seemed to snap out of it after that.

"A-Ash?…" She looked very scared after that, "He…he asked about Gary…" Ash blinked,

"Why? He doesn't even know Gary or his family… Oh Misty just calm down it's going to be all right. We'll figure out why he asked. But now we should probably be getting to bed, it's late and we've both had a long day. I'll make sure I talk to him in the morning, okay? Let's go." Ash was about to pick her up, but she grabbed on his arm tightly, "……Misty?"

"Let's leave…" She said quietly, "Please…let's go out driving or something, just for a few hours." She practically pleaded with him, her eyes nearly helpless. Ash didn't reply, but he knew that he couldn't object to her. He smiled,

"Okay, we'll go, where would you like to disappear to?" He asked as he stood up, starting to help her up.

"Our secret spot, please…"

"Alright, let's go!" He said as he picked her up and carried her out of the house.

(A/N: please read and review, I will appreciate it! Thanks!)


	14. They're what?

(A/N: and now for what you've all been probably waiting for!…it's chapter 14! Oh my gawd it's been so long since I've updated, my regular contact, Hakki (what's up!) mentioned that it's been like around 5 months since I've updated, now that is just not nice, well I got stumped a while, and lots of other things. But now I'm out of school and have so much time on my hands! Hooray! Well, I'm so so so so so sorry for leaving it like this, but here you are! Enjoy! Please read and be kind and review for me, thanks muchly!)

"Hey, Ash?"

"What is it?"

"You still haven't told me what you promised…"

"Oh, Misty, not now please. I'm so happy right now." Misty smiled and gently kissed Ash on the neck as he said it,

"Okay, but so help me I'll hold you to that promise."

"I know, I know, Now quit moving around so much, it's hard to get comfortable with such limited space. It's hard to get warm with the heat on and no clothes." He replied as he grinned at her. They were in the back seat of Ash's car, a blanket draped around them.

"Well, I thought we were going to this place to look at the stars."

"I couldn't help it. We couldn't exactly do it in my house, ya know. This is much more private." He said as he kissed her on the head, "Are you ready to talk about it now?"

"I thought you said you didn't want to talk about it?"

"We can't talk about MY situation, not about what my dad said to you."

"Do we have to talk about it now?" Misty asked, Ash nodded his head and smiled.

"Of course you have to. You said he mentioned Gary, which has to have some kind of importance. I want to keep my little flower close to me at all times." Ash smiled wider at her,

"He just asked me how long you two hated each other, he was about to ask more, but then you came in."

"Nnnn…okay. Well you'll be just fine." He said and Misty snuggled into him,

"What does your dad do for a living anyway?"

"Promise not to tell anyone?" Misty nodded her head, "Well, he works for a secret government agency. It's real covert things. I heard he was the most feared, by the fugitives. The mere mention of his name scares the crap out of the toughest men."

"Wow…really? No wonder where your tough attitude came from." She smiled, "Why did he come back?"

"He heard about what happened to mom. He came to protect her, he was probably just lonely, though."

"Well…you're not lonely, are you?" Misty asked, Ash blinked,

"Of course not, Misty! I could never be lonely when you're here." He smiled brightly at her, she smiled back and then shifted up so she was sitting up, looking out the window. Soon after she got away from hugging on Ash, she shivered,

"Ooh…cold." Ash smiled and pulled her right back down, pulling the blanket tight around them,

"I told you, it's too cold for that, snuggling is absolutely necessary. Besides, we need to talk about more important things, like our marriage."

"Really? Already?"

"Of course, where would you like to have it?" He asked her, she thought for a few moments before replying,

"I don't know, I was thinking of getting your idea of a perfect wedding, ya know, so we can figure out what we should do." She snuggled into him and got ready to listen.

"Well…" Ash started, "I would love for it to e in the summer time, so we can have it outside. We could maybe even have it right here, or when the blossoms are in full bloom. And I would like it to be, well…all center around you. Which I know that's how weddings are supposed to be, but much more beautiful. I don't think white would really do you justice, you're color is more blue, and your hair, braided, with flowers in them. We'd have someone make us an altar and exchange our vows there, in front of our friends and family. What do you think about that?" There was no answer, "Misty?" Ash said as he looked down to her, at first starting to get worried, but he noticed the steady rise and fall of her chest, mingled with her deep slow breathing. She had fallen asleep through his explanation. Ash smiled, just the fact that he was still able to sooth her like that made him feel good. He kissed her head and pulled the cover tightly around them. "Sweet dreams, my little flower." He whispered to her as he got comfortable and then fell asleep.

Ash and Misty came back to his house in the morning of the next day; Brock and Ashura were pacing around the living room.

"Thank goodness!" Brock exclaimed as he saw them walk in, "We thought something happened to you."

"We're fine." Ash replied, "No worries here." He put his arm around Misty's waist and pulled her right next to him, she smiled up at him.

"Where did the two of you run off to?" Ashura asked as he crossed his arms and looked between the two of them, Ash was about to answer but Misty spoke up first,

"Well, I usually get real clingy at night, and I didn't want to embarrass him in front of everyone so we decided to go out and look up at the stars, it was so soothing that we both fell asleep!" She replied, making it absolutely believable. Ashura looked to Misty, then back to his son,

"Well, please don't sneak off again without telling us. Whoever hurt your mother, Ash, might still be around. So be careful, all of you."

"Dad, we'll be fine."

"You don't know that. Someone could try to get at you, especially you, Misty." Misty blinked, she was about to ask what he meant but the phone rang. Ash looked between the three of them, then walked over and picked up the receiver,

"Hello? Oh…no this isn't Ashura, this is his son, Ash…" He sighed and rolled his eyes, holding the receiver at an arm length as they heard yelling from the phone. When he deemed it safe, he put his ear back, "Yes it's THAT Ash, did you call for any purpose or…" He trailed off. His eyes widened and he stammered back a reply, "Th-they're in the hospital…what for? Holy cow…o-okay we'll be there in a little while. Thank you for letting us know." He hung up the phone, looking quite stunned, the rest of them were worried, Misty spoke up first,

"What is it?" Ash looked to everyone,

"It's…Jessie and James, they're in the hospital. And apparently…" Ash looked to his father, "It seems that you brought them there in the first place."

"What happened?" Brock asked,

"That's what I want to know." Ash replied, Ashura stood up.

"Well, you caught me, yes, I brought them to the hospital before I tried to find you. They're actually my comrades.

"Your…what?" The three sounded in unison.

"They're friends of mine, they infiltrated Team Rocket to protect you. The boss had found out about them and they were tortured for their information on me, and about all of you. I can't tell you the person who committed such transgressions against me. Ash, Misty, Brock, you must be careful!"

"We will, don't worry, Ashura." Brock replied, they walked to the kitchen, but Ashura stopped as the doorbell rang,

"I'll get it." He said as she walked from the kitchen to the living room. Brock glanced to Misty and Ash, who were both smiling at each other, he groaned,

"You two are sick." He said as she stuck out his tongue. Ash smiled sweetly at Brock,

"Hey Brock, shut up." They heard Ashura's voice,

Um…no. I'm Ash's father. Ash is asleep right now. Would you like for me to give him a message?" Much to the three's anger and shock, May spoke up.

"Yes, I am Ash's girlfriend, May. I haven't yet gotten the chance to meet you, it's a great honor to meet his father in the flesh!"

"Oh…well that's funny. I've met Ash's girlfriend, and she looks nothing like you. Her name is Misty Waterflower, and she's quite a beautiful girl, no disrespect to you. I've known her since they were little kids. So…what did you really come here for?" The answer was inaudible, and the door slammed as Ashura came back, "Wow, you've got a stalker, do ya? She looks slightly detached from reality."

"That's because she's Gary's older sister. She rejected Ash when he was kinda young, and now that he's famous, she somehow thinks that she can get with him again." Broke said, Ash sighed heavily.

"Please, can you not bring that up? I'd rather forget that I even asked her out." Misty chuckled,

"Well, don't worry about it too much, Ash. I'm sure soon that it will all blow over." Ashura shrugged and sighed,

"Well, I should go get Jessie and James, and we're going to have three wounded people in our house." Brock stood up,

"I'll go along with you." Ash nodded his head,

"Alright, well Misty and I will stay here with mom. We're going to keep an eye on her."

"Alright, then. See you two later." Ashura and Brock left. Ash scooped Misty in his arms as soon as they were gone.

"Wha! What are you doing, Ash!" Ash smiled at her,

"Carrying my fiancé to our room, of course."

"Why?" She questioned.

"Because you need your beauty rest. You look a mess." Misty laughed before she replied,

"Well that's only because you kept me up so late yesterday."

"Oh fine then." He teased, "Just blame it on me why doncha? I mean ya do it all the time." He stuck his tongue out at her and flopped her down on the bed, "Now, sleep." She smiled brightly as he covered her up with the blanket,

"Alright, will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" He sat down on the bed beside her,

"Like always, sweet dreams." He smiled and leaned over, he kissed her on the head and she smiled brightly at him. She yawned and in minutes was asleep. Ash sighed and the door creaked open, he was about to stand up but relaxed when Pikachu hobbled into the room. Ash reached down and picked him up off the ground when he came to the side of the bed. "I'm really sorry to ask ya this, buddy, but do you mind if we trained a little bit tomorrow? I'm kinda nervous." Pikachu nodded his head and nuzzled it into Ash's neck, Ash stood up, "Later, I'm going to rest of us together for practicing, but I don't want to put a strain on your energy. You've gotta get better first." Pikachu squeaked and Ash smiled at the meaning, "Yeah, I'm glad mom's okay too, but ya need to worry about yourself. I'm so glad you saved her, it makes me proud to be your friend." He hugged Pikachu and the Pokemon snuggled into his arms. Ash walked down the stairs with him and he lay down on the couch with Pikachu on his stomach. As soon as he hit the couch, his eyes started to droop, and in minutes, both him and Pikachu were asleep.

(A/N: please review for me, and thanks for your patience!)


	15. Jessie 'n' James

(A/N: Sorry it's been so long, I'm starting to feel sluggish for a while. But now I'm starting to write faster, and it's just about tournament time! Yay! Anyway, make sure you read and review, thanks!)

Ashura stood in James's hospital room, looking at his friend, who had awakened and had bloodstained bandages over the heavier gashes. Brock stood by him, his jaw slack and he looked utterly dumbstruck.

"Wh…what are you saying, James? Say that again." Ashura said, trying to make sure he heard right this time. James was looking down at his hands, a heavy stream of tears rolled down his face and his hands were shaking.

"I said, Jessie…she lost the baby…it was because of what that bastard did to us. She still wouldn't give you up no matter how bad we were tortured. They told me she just work from a coma…but she won't talk…I'm-I'm afraid that she won't be the same. I can't believe I just sat there and watched as it happened…" James put his hands over his eyes and tried to force back his tears, but it was no use, so he just let loose all his tears and cried into his hands. Ashura walked to the side of the bed and patted James gently on the back. He spoke to him soothingly, even though it might not help.

"Hey…it'll be alright, she's alive and she's going to be fine. All we have to do is help her through it all, and no more fighting on the front lines for her." Brock sat there and watched as James cried and Ashura tried to sooth him. He had never seen James look so lost in his life. Jessie was pretty much the reason why James was still alive; if he was gone it was like he was a lost little lamb.

"But…What if she doesn't…" James started to say, but Ashura interjected,

"Ah, don't say that she won't want to be with you after all that! Why do you think she married you, dumb ass? It's because she loves you! Honestly, you can't give up because of this, it'll be giving Team Rocket the go ahead to walk all over everyone and take over the world! Do you want something like that to happen?"

"N-no…" James replied timidly, but as he took his hands off his face, his eyes burned with resolve and hatred. He wanted revenge against the people that did such a horrible thing to his wife. I won't let them get away with killing out child…" The conversation was interrupted when a nurse came into the room. Ashura nodded his head to James.

"We're going to go check up on her, as soon as you get discharged, come to her room okay?"

"Okay." James said as Brock and Ashura left James's hospital room. Who they ran into on the way out was someone totally unexpected, Gary. He snickered at the two of them,

"Well, Ash, what are you doing here? Problems getting it up for Misty?" Ashura glanced back to Brock and smiled, then he looked back and didn't even have to adjust his voice to sound like his son.

"Don't mistake you for me, Gary. I'm just visiting friends." Gary glared at Ashura with his comment,

"Well, after your worthless mother got hurt, I'd figure she'd never get better and poor you would have to drop out of the tournament." Gary laughed; Ashura glared and slammed Gary against the wall,

"She is NOT worthless!" He yelled, Gary looked confused, and both Brock and Ashura could see that he even felt intimidated. Brock pulled Ashura off of Gary,

"Hey, let's settle this during the tournament, even though at the hospital you could get treated immediately, let's see who's better." Brock suggested, Gary pushed Ashura away and started down the hall.

"I'll get you, coward." Ashura smirked,

"Who's the one running away…" He commented under his breath for only Brock to hear.

"Wow…you still really do love your wife, huh?" Ashura nodded his head as Brock asked,

"No one badmouths my family in my presence. Well, we should go check up on Jessie." Ash replied as they walked down the hall to Jessie's room.

"Jessie…c'mon. It's me, Ashura. Talk to me, I know you can hear me." Ashura pleaded with her as he sat down on her bed. Jessie was staring straight up at the ceiling, her eyes looking lifeless. Brock stood by the door. He had never seen her without any type of emotion before, it was pretty scary, she didn't respond to anything no matter how much Ashura begged and pleaded. Ashura, who always had a calm and collected expression, looked absolutely worried,

"Jessie please, snap out of it. Don't do this to us. James won't be able to take it…he needs you. We need you. Please…" She didn't respond or even bat an eye at his comment.

"Dammit…" Brock said quietly, "Losing her baby must've devastated her beyond anything. James is going to be so heartbroken."

"She's got to snap out of it. Without them, it might be useless to mount an attack on Team Rocket." Ashura said, sounding hopeless.

"Jessie, snap out of it!" No matter what Ashura or Brock said, Jessie would continue to stare up at the ceiling. They both exchanged glances with each other,

"Maybe it'd be best if we tried this at home where she would be more comfortable. If James is there she might just snap out of it." Brock suggested, Ashura agreed,

"Well, we should get them both home." Ashura replied. They stood and left Jessie's room to begin getting their things ready to go home.

Ash was waking up on the couch as his father, Brock, Jessie and James came into the house. James was carrying Jessie in his arms; she was hugging him and burying her head into his shoulder. Brock walked behind James to make sure he didn't fall over.

"We're home." Ashura said, Ash held Pikachu in his arms and got up.

"Oh, welcome back." He looked to Jessie and James, "Want me to clean out the extra guest bedroom?"

"Please, Ash. Thank you." James said, he sounded so helpless. Ash put Pikachu down and nodded his head, "Just put Jessie down there until I can clean it up. Just hold on."

"Thank you so much." James thanked him, Ash walked up the stairs, and Brock went after Ash to help. James walked over to the couch and tried to set her down, but she didn't want to sit on the couch, or let him go. "Jess…c'mon, you have to rest." James said to her, but she still wouldn't let him go. James sighed quietly and sat down on the couch, holding her in his arms, Ashura stood and tilted his head to one side.

"Are you sure we should tell Ash about this. If we want him to join us, we're going to have to tell him everything…including about Misty…"

"He's your son." James stated, "You can tell him if you want to and do things how you see fit. But if I happen to see Gary, and I have a chance, I'll take it, and he'll die." At the mention of Gary's name, Jessie's grip tightened around James. James hugged her tighter in return. "Don't worry." He whispered to her. "He won't hurt you anymore." A few minutes later, Ash and Brock, walked back down the stairs.

"The room's all ready." Ash said to James as he got up without a word and carried Jessie up to the guestroom. Ash watched the two of them go up, and then turned to his father,

"What happened?" He asked, Ashura sighed, and then told Ash what was going on with Jessie and the loss of her son. "Oh my god, she lost it? …No wonder James looks so mad, I'm glad I didn't ask anything…"

"We should just probably leave them alone for a while." Ashura said quietly, the three men stood in awkward silence, and then Ash spoke up,

"Who did that to them?" Ashura shook his head,

"It's very personal, they don't want me to tell. It's nothing you need to worry about."

"How's Misty doing?" Brock asked, conveniently changing the subject,

"She's sleeping right now, so she should probably be out for the rest of the night. Speaking of night, I think I need to go train a little bit. I'll see you all later." Ash left the house.

"I'm not sure how this tournament is going to go…" Brock mumbled aloud.

"Hopefully without a hitch. But knowing the circumstances, I'm pretty sure that there will be lots of issues. So there's no way of knowing what'll happen."

"But you're going to be ready, right?" Brock said, Ashura grinned and winked,

"Of course, my son is the most famous celebrity out there. I must make sure he comes out a winner. Now, we've got a lot of planning to do."

(A/N: please review it for me, thanks again!)


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